/178_November_2010_DMAG by TaeKwon-Do Times

Master Michael Lee The Next Generation A New

Chuck Norris Fact

TKD in MMA B.J. Penn & Tom Callos

Bully Proof Your Life

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taekwondotimes.com

Contents

November 2010 / Volume 30 No. 6 / Issue Number 178 Publisher & CEO Woojin Jung

Features

Managing Editor Laura Stolpe

Creative Director Elizabeth Brown

Four journalists from Mookas were dispatched by the South Korean government to the United States to interview America’s Tae Kwon Do pioneers. Follow their travels.

Business Director Brian Heckart Office Manager Jason Loutsch Copy Editors Bill Heckart Julie Heckart Web Site Manager Midwest Dedicated

Documenting TKD History

Publisher’s Travels

Come along with publisher Woojin Jung as he travels to South Korea to get an inside look at the highly anticipated Taekwondo Park.

A Pilgrim in the TKD Promised Land

Consultant John Lee

A journey inside the 5th Annual U.S. Taekwondo Grandmaster Society.

International Cover Consultant

Sang Koo Kang

Columnists

Alex Haddox C. M. Griffin Doug Cook Erik Richardson Guy Edward Larke Jerry Beasley Karen Eden Master Rondy Stephen DiLeo Tae Yun Kim Tom Kurz

Online Columnists Erica Linthorst Jason Loutsch Jeremy Talbott

TKD Bermuda

Visit tropical Bermuda and read about its TKD history. Check out photos from the Bermuda TKD Open.

Master Michael Lee

Meet Master Michael Lee, the next generation of martial artist, keeping tradition alive while adapting to today’s modern world.

A New Chuck Norris Fact: He Turned 70

A profile of the famous martial artist who holds countless honors and accomplishments.

Contributors Christopher Alexander David Higgs Dorian Riley Edmond Johnson Elvis Mendez Eric Stalloch George Vitale Guy Edward Larke Norman McLinden Tom Callos Troy Trudeau

A Break in the Clouds

A world record skydiving board break raises awareness for child abduction education.

A firsthand account of how TKD has influenced one of MMA’s top fighters, B.J. Penn, from his instructor Tom Callos.

Bully Prevention for Adults

Learn how to set your own personal boundaries to prevent being bullied in adulthood. Vice Presidents Don Wells Eui Min Ko He-Young Kimm General Advisors Jhoon Rhee Jin Suk Yang

Hee Il Cho Woon Chick Park Chuck Sereff Soo Nam Park Edward Sell Rick Rojeck Tiger Kim

TKD’s Influence on MMA

Kwang Sik Myung Soon Ho Lee Chun Sik Kim Public Relations Jung Oh Hwang Taek Sung Cho Michelle Kim

General Education Alexander Choi Byungchul Kim Yong Bum Kim Event Coordinator Jun Pyo Choi Sung Yong Ji

Song Son Yu Martial Art Tech. Jae Kyung Kim Scott Greca Barry Harmon Jamie Serio Dojang Operations

Mike Menters Marshall Pereir Alex Suh Donald C. Kimm News Director Mike Zeman Marketing Director

Scott Warner Lisa Warner International Department Kwang Jo Choi Jae Chul Sin David Moon

Jin Suk Yang (WTF) Yong Son Ri (ITF) International Correspondents Asia: Changsub Shin Europe:

64 Bum Ju Lee Australia: Africa: Tam Fook Chee Robin Rafferty Argentina: Ricardo Desimone South America: Cover Jose Luis Giarone photo by Bill

taekwondotimes.com

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I Shall Build a More Peaceful World: Part II

An inside glimpse into the years of planning behind creating the ground-breaking peace exchange between North Korea and the U.S. with the TKD Goodwill Tour.

The Arsenal of Tae Sool Hap Ki Do

Learn the many moves and techniques that Tae Sool Won has to offer to its practitioners.

Tai Shan Mantis & the 9 Truths

Learn about the creation of Tai Shan Mantis and the 9 Truths created by Master Rob Moses. Find your happiness through practice of this new art.

Columns 26 33 42 63 68 76 81 83 92 96 98

The Knight’s Way / A Night Out East Meets West / A Tiger’s Pride Master the Basics / Beyond Technique Woman of the Times / Go Ahead and Jump MMA & You / The Clinch Boxing for MMA Traditions / Tae Kwon Do: A Life’s Work Nutrition by the Numbers / Fight Back Against Fat Raising Awareness / Tactical Flashlights Stretch Yourself / Mystery Sport Revealed Heart to Heart / The Lesson of Pain The Last Word / Screamers

Departments 11 15 21 28 30 44 89 90 93

Publisher’s Page / Applause Changes People News / Around the Globe Black Belt Beginnings / Readers’ Stories Killer Kicks / Devastating Moves The Big Break / Awesome Photos TKDT Schools of the Month / October & November Calendar of Events / When and Where Martial Arts Directory / Find a School TKDT Correspondents / International Network

Cover Photo by Jairo Mendoza

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TAE KWON DO TIMES, Volume 30, Number Six (ISSN 0741-028X) is published bi-monthly, (January, March, May, July, September, and November) by Tri-Mount Publications, Inc., Corporate Headquarters, circulation and fulfillment offices located at 3950 Wilson Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404 (319-396-1980). Editorial and advertising 3950 Wilson Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404 email: Fax: 319-396-5070 800-388-5966 info@taekwondotimes.com. Web site: taekwondotimes.com. Submissions must be accompanied by return postage and will be handled with reasonable care; however, the publisher and editor assume no responsibility for the return of unsolicited photographs or manuscripts. Submissions become the property of TAE KWON DO TIMES upon notification of their publication. Printed in the United States by Royle Printing Company. Periodical postage paid at Cedar Rapids, IA 52404 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER, Send address changes to TAE KWON DO TIMES, 3950 Wilson Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. Copyright © 2008 by Tri-Mount Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of contents may be a violation of copyright laws. DISCLAIMER—TRI MOUNT PUBLICATIONS does not guarantee, warranty, or endorse any product or service advertised in this magazine. The publisher also does not guarantee the safety or effectiveness of any product, service or martial art technique illustrated in this magazine. The sole purpose and distribution of some products/services may be illegal in some areas and we do not assume responsibility thereof. State and local laws must be investigated by the purchaser prior to purchase and usage of products/services and martial art techniques. Because of the special nature of some products/services and techniques, a physician should be consulted before application.

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Applause Changes People Nothing makes a person happier than receiving applause. Applause signifies recognition. It also brings a person’s mind and body to an optimal state. The great feeling a person gets after cleanly breaking a pine board and receiving enthusiastic applause is difficult to compare! Parents feel proud when they bring their children to the dojang and watch them training diligently. When their children receive applause from others in the dojang, parents realize that their investments of time and money have been worthwhile. This is particularly true if a child has been bullied by his peers, or is perhaps just very shy. Even children who are badly behaved or stubborn tend to become more agreeable and compliant after they receive applause. This is because compliments and applause are motivating forces. The motivational aspect of applause is true for adults as well. Adults do not normally receive applause at their workplace, or at school, or from people around them. Praise from fellow trainees boosts self-confidence and brings a sense of self-assurance that lasts for a long time. A result of good martial arts training is that the body and mind are brought together. In this process, the phenomenon of ki, or energy, also plays an important role. The physical and mental elements of the individual combine with ki, creating supreme power and supreme energy. In the dojang, an applause outpouring is worth far more than applause received merely because of status or affluence. There is an unparalleled sense of pride in oneself gained through people’s applause, and students come to believe that the greatest honor is to be a martial artist. It exceeds the sense of worth generated by one’s place in society or one’s material possessions. Just as medical doctors and those with PhDs are referred to with respect by the title of ‘Doctor’, martial artists are addressed as Mr., Ms., Mrs., Master and Grandmaster, titles of respect in the dojang and anywhere that martial artists gather. *This is an excerpt of Grandmaster Jung’s latest book, Best Instructor + Best School + Best Life! To find out more about the book, visit our store at www.taekwondotimes.com.

Woojin Jung

Documenting TKD History Four members of the Mookas media flew to the United States from South Korea in July 2010 at the request of the South Korean government to document and record the history of several Tae Kwon Do pioneers in America for the highly anticipated Taekwondo Museum portion of the Taekwondo Park. Hu In-Wook, Jung Dae-Gil, Park Jung-Min and Lee Ki-Won visited the United States as government delegates to interview America’s Tae Kwon Do pioneers. Their first stop in their grand task was the offices of TaeKwonDo Times magazine and the home of Grandmaster Woojin Jung, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. After a day of interviews, photos and video documentation, the team set out to travel much of the U.S. by car. Their second stop was Memphis, home of Grandmaster Kang Rhee, the former instructor to Elvis Presley. Next on the list was famous pioneer and historian, Dr. He-Young Kimm of Louisiana. Then the team headed to Oklahoma City to meet and interview Grandmaster Jack Hwang. They also made their way to Little Rock, Arkansas to meet with Mrs. Lee, wife of the Grandmaster Lee, founder of the ATA. Soon, they were in Atlanta at Choi Kwang Do headquarters, learning about the new art and interviewing its founder, Grandmaster Kwang Jo Choi. The team also met with American pioneers, Grandmaster Edward B. and Brenda Sell in Atlanta. The Sells are the only American-born pioneers that the Mookas team met on this trip. They were unable to visit with

Grandmaster Chuck Sereff of Colorado, but hope to interview him in the future. The team then traveled to Philadelphia to meet Grandmaster Jae Chul Shin of Tang Soo Do. Next, they hit New York where they met with Grandmasters Jae Hwa Kwon, Henry Cho, Moonsung Lee and Hong Tak Heo, the New York TKD Association President. From New York, they traveled on to Connecticut to visit Grandmaster Hwang Kwang Sung of the ITF and discuss General Choi Hong Hi. After covering 5000 miles by car, the team boarded a plane and headed to the West Coast, where they met with Grandmasters Jae Kyu Shim, Byung Yu, Young Su Kim, Kim Min and Myung Kyu Kang. They were unable to meet with Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim since she was out of the country, but they hope to interview and document her contribution to American TKD in the future for the museum. After several interviews and countless hours of video, the team headed home to South Korea to show their progress. The Taekwondo Museum of the Taekwondo Park will feature historical interviews on the spread of Tae Kwon Do around the world. The South Korean government has already collected stories from several pioneers in Korea and now the United States. They will continue to gather the stories of pioneers in all the continents around the world to showcase the achievements of these great leaders.

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The 4 members of Mookas, GM Jung and editor Laura Stolpe.

12 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

4TAKHRGDQaR 8Q@UDKR 8GD 8@DJVNMCN 4@QJ Grandmaster Woojin Jung recently traveled to Korea. He took in the sites, visited family and observed the progression of the Taekwondo Park being built. Check out his photo diary. Traditional cuisine being prepared

WTF General Secretary Yang and WTF President Choue

The new Kukkiwon president

A $10,000 donation to the park from the USTGS

The path up the mountain to the observatory

The entrance to the nearby Butterfly Museum

A Taekwondo Park presentation

A view from the Taekwondo Park Observatory

A practitioner at the observatory

The entrance to the observatory

NEWS TKD Optional Sport at Commonwealth Games

TKD may be in Commonwealth Games

Seoul, South Korea—Tae Kwon Do has been classified as a category 2, optional sport at the Commonwealth Games. The Olympic sport of Tae Kwon Do stands a good chance of being on the official program of the 2018 Commonwealth Games at the earliest. The Commonwealth Games have three classifications of sports: core sports (category 1), optional sports (category 2), and recognized sports (category 3). Under the current regulations, the Commonwealth Games must include a minimum of ten core sports and can include up to an additional seven from a list of optional sports, with a maximum of four team sports on their program. The Commonwealth Games, which date back to 1930, are a unique world-class, multi-sport event which is held once every four years. The next Commonwealth Games, the 19th edition, are scheduled to take place in New Delhi, India, with 17 sports on the official program. The 20th Commonwealth Games are to be held in Glasgow, Scotland in 2014. Hambantota in Sri Lanka and the Gold Coast in Australia are competing to win the right to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Chosun Students Visit Korea Warwick, New York—21 students from the Chosun Taekwondo Academy in Warwick, NewYork recently visited Korea. The group was lead by head instructor and fifth-degree black belt, Master Doug Cook. Accompanying them was martial arts pioneer Grandmaster Richard Chun, ninth-degree black belt and president of the United States Taekwondo Association. The detailed itinerary included instruction by world-famous grandmasters at the Kumgang Taekwondo Center, the World Taekwondo Instructor Academy, Gulgosa Temple, the Moo Duk Kwan/ Namchang Dojang and the Kukkiwon. Each day presented a diverse and challenging training opportunity. While at the Moo Duk Kwan/Namchang Dojang, or Institute of Martial Virtue, an outstanding demonstration of martial arts skill by Grandmaster Shin Chul Kang’s team was followed by a series of kicking drills incorporating the Chosun Chosun students students ranging in age from 8 to 72 years old. Similarly, Master Byeong Cheol An of the Kumgang Taekwondo Center, a face familiar to the Chosun students from previous training excursions, featured strenuous exercises in self-defense and sparring. Another significant component of the educational journey included a day of instruction at the World Taekwondo Instructor Academy in the tiny village of Yangsu-ri, surrounded by rice paddies, where the Chosun students practiced the most current iteration of poomsae taught by Grandmaster Gyoo Hyun Lee, a sanctioned standard bearer of the art. For many, training at the Kukkiwon represented the highlight. There, Grandmaster Jong Beom Park again concentrated on poomsae practice. Yet, in what can only be compared to a scene borrowed from the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a singularly memorable event of the excursion required the Chosun students to endure a steep climb through rain and cloud-like mists to Gulgosa Temple perched high atop the mountains overlooking the Great Kyongju Plain. There, the Chosun students studied Sunmudo, or Traditional Korean Zen Martial Arts, followed by a monastic meal with the resident Buddhist monks.

ISKA & Mannatech Forge Deal Dallas, Texas—Recently, the International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) selected Mannatech as its exclusive dietary supplement provider. The announcement was made at the ISKA’s 37th annual U.S. Open, which featured more than 3,000 of the top martial artists from 40 countries around the world. The partnership will allow various Mannatech products to carry the ‘ISKA Certified for Elite Athletes’ seal, as well as a proven business building opportunity for all studio owners represented by the ISKA. Also at the U.S. Open, Team Mannatech member Ben Parra earned two world titles in Three Directional Power Breaking and Multiple Stack Speed Breaking, in which he set a world record by breaking 129 planks of wood in ten seconds. Team member Chip Townsend held an exhibition at the event’s culmination “Night of Champions” and broke his single-strike speed breaking title with 42 planks in eight seconds. His previous record was 36. taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

Rothrock (center) becomes ITMA rep

Rothrock Represents ITMA Dickson City, Pennsylvania—Recently, movie legend Cynthia Rothrock accepted the appointment of West Coast representative for the International Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan Association headquartered in Dickson City, Pennsylvania. Most recognize Rothrock for her Chinese martial arts stylings, but do not know of her extensive background in Tang Soo Do, which dates back to the age of 13, training at the Scranton Karate School under Grandmaster Frank Trojanowicz. There she met Instructor Robert Kovaleski, who also trained under Grandmaster Trojanowicz. She went on to earn her first-degree black belt in Tang Soo Do, as well as Tae Kwon Do, Eagle Claw, Wu Shu and Northern Shaolin. She was promoted to sixth-dan in Tang Soo Do by Grandmaster Robert Kovaleski, founder of the ITMA, in 1994.

AWARDS & PROMOTIONS Changmookwan Promotions San Pedro, California—Recently, The Korean Bell of Friendship and Bell Pavilion served as the host site for the recent promotion ceremony for Changmookwan students from Wong’s Martial Arts Training Center in Ontario, California. As part of the promotional ceremony, the candidates performed the traditional forms of Changmookwan founder and Grandmaster Nam Suk Lee, commemorating his tenth year anniversary. Having successfully fulfilled the requirements for promotion, the following candidates were promoted: junior black belt Ryan Cook, firstdan Melissa Trujillo Moreno and second-dan Mr. Darryl Cook.

6th Dan Promotions Master John Meany, head instructor at S.J. Kim’s Taekwon-Do under Taekwon-Do International President, Grandmaster Suk Jun Kim, and Master James Marr, owner of Glen Ridge Taekwon-do, were both recently promoted to the level of sixth-dan. Before a panel of judges and a crowd of fellow practitioners, the two candidates demonstrated three patterns in sync. Master Marr then broke four boards with a lead leg side kick, three suspended boards with a knifehand strike, and four boards with a back kick while standing on broken glass. Master Meany broke four boards with a front turning kick, two boards in midair with a punch, and used a jumping reverse turning kick to break two boards balanced on another black belt’s head.

Kingʼs Robes Chicago, Illinois—Grandmasters and Masters gathered in the Grand Ballroom of the Chicago Hilton Hotel to bestow the “King’s Robes” to the highest ranking Tae Kwon Do players in the country, including Grandmaster Nicholls of Port Angeles, Washington. The ceremony concluded with Dr. Kwon, president of the U.S. National Taekwondo Federation, awarding Grandmaster Nicholls the coveted “Instructor of the Year” award for 2010. Nicholls has been practicing Tae Kwon Do for 41 years and also serves as National Vice-chairman for the World Koryo Gumdo Federation. He has black belts in four other martial arts and runs the Northwest Region with schools in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia.

GM Nicholls

GOOD DEEDS Raising funds for St. Jude

2nd Annual Break-A-Thon/ Kick-A-Thon Peoria, Illinois—Recently, As Bum Nym Ben Mitchell of Kuk Sool Won of Peoria hosted his 2nd annual Break-A-Thon/KickA-Thon for St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Three other martial arts schools, Cat- Ching Do, Aldus Martial Arts and Harrison and Dorris College of Martial Arts, demonstrated as well. They were able to raise 3,500 for the kids of St. Jude.

16 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

EVENTS Level 10 Hosts Rothrock and Reyes Jr. Indianapolis, Indiana—The students of Level 10 Martial Arts College recently hosted celebrities Cynthia Rothrock and Ernie Reyes, Jr. for seminars. Master Cynthia Rothrock taught the students her flexibility secrets and showed the students how to create their own stunt-fighting sequences. After the event, Master James Theros, owner of Level 10 Martial Arts College, and Cynthia filmed a fight scene together. Master Ernie Reyes, Jr., best known for his roles in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Rundown, treated the students to some advanced kicking concepts and broke the movements down so that even the most beginner students were able to perform them by the end of the day. He also taught them his own brand of Hollywood stuntfighting skills and also filmed a fight scene with Master Theros.

Level 10 students

The 6th Korea Open Busan, South Korea—The 6th Korea

The 6th Korea Open

Open World Karate Championship was recently held at Busan Gu-Dak Stadium. It was hosted by the KKF (Korea Karate Federation) and supervised by the KKF and the BSKF (Busan Karate Federation). 350 foreign players came from 28 regions in 21 countries with 250 Korean fighters. These competitors were drawn from Korean national players and winners from the Asian Games and Asian Karate Championships. The Korean players came from 16 different cities and provinces and joined with the top athletes in the country. In male individual kumite (sparring), Ji-Hwan Lee won in the - 60 kg division, while Cho-

Rong Choi won in the -61 kg division for females and So-Yung Jang won in open female kumite. Ji-Hwan Lee fought against Tran Minh Duc (Vietnam) and won 2-0 after an overtime round in the semi-finals. For the finals he fought against Donny Dharmawan from Indonesia. He also won with a score of 2-1. Lee will progress to the 16th Asian Games in November in China. Cho-Rong Choi fought Ka-Man Chan from Hong Kong for her semi-final match. The result was a stunning 6-1 victory for Choi. For her final she battled Trantri Widyasari (Indonesia) and easily bested her with a score of 8-4. So-Yung Jang defeated Yolanda Asmuruf (Indonesia) for a score of 6-0 and finally bested medalist Cho-Rong Choi with a score of 4-1. With Korea’s outstanding performance, they are sure to advance to the next round in November. Overall, Korea scored second overall. In first was Russia, actually their first time to attend these games, while Hong Kong came in third.

22nd Karate College Camp Radford, Virginia—Over 250 campers attended the 22nd annual Karate College summer training camp held at Radford University in June. Instructors at the camp included UFC fighters Renzo Gracie, Paul Creighton and Matt “The Terror” Serra. Martial arts champions and masters teaching included Bill Wallace, Michael DePasquale, Willie “Bam” Johnson, Dr. Christian Harfouche, Ernie Cates, Jim Sams, Danny Chapman, Rikk Perez, Mark Hatmaker, John Miller and Hollywood stunt man and martial arts legend Anthony “Whip Master” DeLongis. In addition to the regular classes, campers could earn certificates in MMA, Kung-Fu, BJJ, Arnis and women’s self-defense. Says Dr. Jerry Beasley, host of the event, “Karate college encourages instructors from all styles to cross train in other arts. You can measure your own level of skill and the quality of your personal art by training with experts from other arts. Where you are weak, supplement your skills and where you are strong, add new skills.”

An amazing break

U.S.A. MMA World Championships Las Vegas, Nevada—The Riviera Hotel Casino and Convention Center was the host site for the International Martial Arts Council’s U.S.A. Mixed Martial Arts, World Championships, during the month of June 2010. Competitors from across the nation provided fierce competition and dazzling demonstrations. Representing the Red Dragon Karate Champions Training Center in Diamond Bar, California, taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

AKA Grands

the Jahan-Vash family made their presence known by winning the following: Shahin competed in the 14-17 year old divisions winning first places in Traditional Weapons, Musical Weapons, Musical Forms, Open Forms, Traditional Forms and Fighting. These impressive wins qualified Shahin to win two Grand Championships, one in Forms and one in Weapons. His sister Ava won first place in Synchronized Forms and Weapons in the 18-29 year old division. In the 11 and under division, little brother Alec took a first place in Creative Weapons, Traditional Forms and Fighting. Both Shahin and Alec traveled the following week to the prestigious U.S. Open in Orlando, Florida, the second week of July and added to their winning streak, first and second places in Fighting, Creative Weapons, Traditional Weapons, and Traditional Forms. In the Black Belt Creative Breaking Division, Sensei Jason Federdush of the Smith Academy of Self Defense from Cottonwood, Arizona, took first place while his instructor, Sensei Paul Smith took second. Mr. Joseph Hernandez of San Dimas, California placed third to round out the top three World Champion Breakers. Not to be outdone, five child competitors from the Smith Academy of Self Defense also took five, first places in the various children’s color belt breaking divisions and one second and four, fourth places in fighting. Winners were Chad Hill, Jessica Rubalcava, Austin Volk, Zion Plontikoph and Jacob Plontikoph.

AKA Grand Nationals Celebrates 45 Years Naperville, Illinois—Recently, the 45th Annual American Karate Association Grand Nationals hosted by AKA president and promoter John Sharkey of Sharkey’s Karate Studio in Naperville, Illinois took place. This year’s Warrior Cup finals saw a surprising evening of repeats. To begin, the Junior Black Belt Weapons division was conquered by Audrie Donihoo’s sword performance. The judges appointed her the winner allowing her to receive her second Warrior Cup win. A much anticipated battle for Adult Black Belt Weapons Warrior Cup between Matt Emig, Caitlin Dechelle and Kalman Csoka was a close score but in the end Caitlin Dechelle was able to capture her second Warrior Cup win. When the dust settled in Men’s Sparring, it was Ross Levine who captured his fourth Warrior Cup title, and his third back to back title for the AKA Grand Nationals. The Trick America 14-Under division ran first pitting Jacob Pinto against Donovan Sheehan. In the end it was Jacob Pinto who won the $500 prize. Next up was the 15-Older division. Mike Guthrie faced off against Austin Crain for the $2500 prize. It was Teuk Gong Mu Sool Seminar Mike’s triple corkscrew which blew the judges away, giving him the win.

Teuk Gong Mu Sool Seminar Wesson, Mississippi—In July 2010, Grandmaster No Won Park conducted his first Teuk Gong Mu Sool Seminar in the United States. The seminar was hosted by Master Steve Kincade and the Korean Martial Arts Academy of Brookhaven, Mississippi. Teuk Gong Mu Sool was developed as Korean Military Special Forces techniques 30 years ago. Grandmaster Park led instruction in beginning and advanced techniques for students of the Korean Martial Arts Academy and Co-Lin Martial Arts Club.

Tiger Rock Tournament Wesson, Mississippi—This summer saw the presentation of the Tiger Rock Taekwondo Tournament, Seminar, and Rank Test held at the Jackson Convention Center in Jackson, Mississippi. The three-day event hosted participants from around the United States who attended seminars in school management, teaching methods, ground-work, and Han Mu Do.

USTA Seminar Slate Hill, New York—Han Ho Martial Arts of Slate Hill, New York was proud to host their first United States Taekwondo Association (USTA) seminar and workshop with President and Founder, Grandmaster Richard Chun. As a new addition to the premier schools associated with the USTA, the instructors as well as the students were eager to take advantage of this one-on-one time with Grandmaster Chun. The focus of the seminar was on poomsae. Grandmaster Chun demonstrated and worked closely with each student to ensure proper execution of the techniques. Master Mike Barnard, certified USTA Master Instructor and owner of Han Ho Martial Arts stated, “Grandmaster Chun’s technique is second to none. It was an honor for me as well as my students to work so closely with him.”

18 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

USTA Seminar

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1534 Sugar Bush Trail • Allen, TX 75002 • 903-583-6160 • jtmshapkido@gmail.com

he Jun Tong Mu Sool Korean Martial Arts Group is an internationally recognized, and fully accredited organization designed to assist the traditional Korean Martial Arts practitioner, instructor, and master alike. The Jun Tong Mu Sool Korean Martial Arts Group offers individual, instructor, and master level memberships, school charters, advanced level training, rank testing and certification (for qualified individuals), Korean martial arts seminars, tournaments and much, much more! Membership into the Jun Tong Mu Sool Korean Martial Arts Group is available only to a dedicated, and spirited few. We follow a unique approach to training in the traditional arts, that is, one that treats the arts with holism and totality. We are an “apolitical” training group, where respect is earned through dedicated study and practice.

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Focus On Our Readers... Black Belt Beginnings tells the inspiring and motivational stories of students climbing the rank system and achieving black belt. To submit your story of 750 words or less, email it to press@taekwondotimes.com.

Perspective in Awareness By Christopher Alexander

Tae Kwon Do has taught me many intrinsic and extrinsic values. When I started TKD my thoughts were to obtain friendship and a structured environment. Through the years these reasons have changed. My training provides a vehicle for many aspects of my being. It improved my character because it has taught me to embrace the ﬁve virtues of courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self control and indomitable spirit. A full understanding of the art takes a long time to develop the perspective of wisdom and patience. To develop a high degree of skill requires the understanding of how energy is utilized throughout the body physiologically, mentally and spiritually. Another aspect is to develop a sense of relaxation—I’m still working on that one. My training helps me to further understand why focus and balance are imperative. Not only is it the root of my training, but with these elements it allows me to translate this into muscle memory. Applying all of the aforementioned elements, I have experienced my ability to deal with stress more effectively, because the training has lowered my blood pressure and cholesterol. I feel it has also given me a high degree of inner strength. Whatever strengthens the inner self can strengthen the mind and spirit. A very critical part of all of this is to help to unburden the mind.

Once the mind is unburdened, energy can pass through in a fluid manner. Any obstruction of energy will result in a misdirection of a particular technique. I have applied all that I have learned in TKD to my life to achieve success. I will continue my training for many years to come beChristopher Alexander cause it has become a way of life. I have also realized that no matter what level, continued training seems to open more doors of perception for me with the passage of time. Tournaments are another aspect of great value in my training. These tournaments help me to understand where I am at in my training. Tournaments are a standard of measurement that I use in competing with myself. All of the forms, weapons, breaking, sparring, and terminology at first seems overwhelming; however, over a period of time it all comes together. This helps me to remember that you never know what you can do till you try. Being the oldest in the dojang has given me a unique perspective. It requires that I blend effectively no matter who I train with because everyone has something to teach. I try to keep my thoughts in a constant “student” mindset. Personal harmony and inner balance are how I perceive myself. This is the cornerstone of my training. Now, more than ever, through my training I want to study my body’s energy dynamics. This, taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

I feel, will enable me to do all things faster, stronger and expand my skill level. TKD to me, at this point, is the study of mental energy manifested through the physical nature of my body. How well I relax in training is one of the keys. Being relaxed and breathing properly helps me to develop stamina. I may sweat a lot, but I am never short of breath. I look forward to gaining even more understanding through further training. My goal is to train long into the future. As I stated, the reason for starting was to gain friendships while training in a structured environment. Often times, the reasons we start out are not the reasons we continue. However, I have found longstanding friendships in the dojang. Overall, TKD training has enriched my life not only as a student, but as a husband. It has also provided me with an added therapeutic value. As a former Marine and Vietnam Vet, I have been able to overcome issues as a direct result of my training. TKD has further given me a sense of blending into a community without any feeling of alienation. I see my training partners as a training partner, not as a combatant. Although in tournaments it is a sense of being combatant, I am reminded that in essence it is sportsmanship and sport fighting. Since I am also a black belt in Aikido and proficient in Wing Zhun, TKD has enabled me to blend all of this together, covering the boxing, kicking and trapping ranges in martial arts. In conclusion, TKD is not only a terrific martial art, but a healing art; whereby, humility takes precedence over my life to achieve all that is available. If TKD were implemented in schools, in my opinion, there would be far less problems. Discipline and respect would always be exhibited in our youth and you could count on them to do the right thing, regardless of any amount of peer pressure. A piece of coal put under tremendous pressure yields a diamond. Be a diamond! Christopher Alexander trains at U.S. West Coast Taekwondo in Vancouver, Washington and teaches at U.S. West Coast Taekwondo in Happy Valley, Oregon.

22 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

A Disciplined Son By Dorian Riley

My eight-year-old son Michael trains up to four times a week for over an hour each session. His favorite part of training is breaking the black belt boards. He enjoys it so much, his coach Aaron Duke of Onesimus Martial Arts in Galesburg, Illinois, allows him to borrow his re-breakable boards. Michael’s class consists of all sorts of belt levels ranging from white all the way up to several black belts of different degrees. He spars, grapples, and trains with higher leveled belts. On several occasions Michael has been allowed to spar against multiple higher belts simultaneously. He absolutely enjoys the challenge, though he is aware of the injuries he could incur; he is still confident some of his punches and kicks will land. Considering Michael is extremely fast with his kicks and punches; several of them do just that. Michael has never been a quitter; he works hard at everything he does. Even academically, by the end of the 2010 school semester, Michael was on the A-B Honor Roll. In fact, shortly after beginning training in Tae Kwon Do, Michael was ready and willing to spar. His coach gladly allowed him to do so. Since Michael has been training he has become a more disciplined child. Although he was already well behaved, his positive behavior noticeably skyrocketed with every passing month. I have noticed around the house Michael very seldom responds negatively when being provoked by his two older

siblings; Keisha (15) and Diondrae (13). It’s really funny to witness when he is the one that walks away from the argument or ask others to calm down. He acts so mature for his age. Even in school he is very well disciplined. He knows if he gets into a fight, it could jeopardize his training. He is careful to ensure he does not start any fights and he has learned to tell the teacher when someone is bullying him. Michael’s life has been greatly improved through Tae Kwon Do by allowing him to be more confident, outspoken, and also enhanced his communication skills. He was not the type of child who would walk up to another kid and just began a conversation. He would wait it out, observe and then possibly he would engage in communicating with the other child. Now, since he has been exposed to so many different people through his Tae Kwon Do classes, city parades, and tournaments, he is not afraid to make the first attempt at communication. He freely walks up to unfamiliar kids and begins talking to them, as if he has Michael and family

known them all his life. To this day, it amazes me the phenomenal communication transformation he has gone through. It makes me proud when I see him confidently emerging from his shell and blossoming into a well mannered, successful, and charming person. Although Michael is such a young child, he has the spirit of a wise man; because he does not let challenges consume him. In fact he welcomes challenges and complains about the pains he may feel later. Throughout Michael’s training and tournaments he does not show signs of pain or discomfort. Michael gives nothing less than 150 percent to his trainings and tournaments each and every time. Tae Kwon Do is a sport that is extremely fulfilling and exciting to him and he embraces that thrill every chance he gets.

In Michael’s Words What does TKD mean to you? “It helps you to defend yourself, and it teaches you honesty.” How did you get started? “I saw people doing good on stage and I said I can do that.” What do you like about it most? “The jumps, the kicks, and the tournaments all over the world.” taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

Korea Taekwondo Tours

• Visit Kukkiwon • Tour Seoul, Busan, Gyeongju, Jejudo & etc. • Temple Stay(Seoul, Busan, Gyeongju) • Theater Performances(Nanta, B-boy, Jump) • Visit Gyeongheegung Palace(TKD Experience) • TKD Training at Haedong

5848 Dempster St. Morton Grove, IL 60053 Tel: (800) 808-8186, 847.581.0300

The Knight’s Way By Guy Edward Larke

6 C^\]i DJ i “Da-shee man-nah-suh bahn-ga wuh-yo” or “Welcome back.” This time I’ll cover socializing in Korea. This is a high pressure society that likes to work hard and play hard. Sadly, the majority of activities are limited to a few types. They will be listed here, but are not hard and fast rules, just my advice from living here the last ten years. People of all cultures, in all walks of life, like to blow off steam together. But in some countries if you don’t, you not only have few friends, but you lose chances for promotions, dating or a better life. Socializing in Korea is integral to the culture. Alcohol: Korea is an alcohol-orientated culture. Even going back to the pre-Three Kingdoms Era, almost every man (and many women) partook of various kinds of wine (typically formed from rice). Now almost every convenience store, supermarket, restaurant, and event has a wide range of mokolli (rice wine), soju (cheap Korean whiskey) and beer. It is typically consumed with anju (side dishes) which can range from popcorn to dried squid to BBQ chicken. It can get costly. Fortunately, the alcohol itself is relatively cheap. Even if you don’t like it, try to nurse a single glass of mek-ju (beer). Even my wife, who hates alcohol, does that out of social expectation. Do not be surprised if many drink until they are sick. It’s quite common. People want you to drink to this level since it is believed you don’t really know someone until you have drunk with them (particularly males). A word of warning to all: Drinking too much and being alone makes you a target for people trying to take advantage of you. This isn’t very common, but it is still a good practice to always go out in groups. Cigarettes: Another very common habit. Almost every Korean man I have met in the last decade smokes. Typically, it starts during mandatory military service in their early 20s. Again, it’s very cheap for those who like that (I really don’t). For those ladies who smoke, try to refrain from doing it in public. Usually only old ladies who like to shock people, smoke in public. It is unfair but it’s not our culture. Singing Rooms: Karaoke rooms called norae-bangs and room salons are another big part of the nightlife here. You can find them everywhere, even in cheap areas of small towns. The norae-bangs are relatively harmless although sometimes have violent clashes between patrons and staff. Some men “order” women to come in Guy Edward Larke sabumnim has dedicated his life from a young age to the pursuit of the martial arts, Asian culture and hopology. It led him to Korea in 2000 and he has lived there since. He lives in Daejeon city with his wife Gi-Ryung and son Alexander. He holds black belts in Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido, Taekkyon, Bon Kuk Kumdo, Korean kickboxing, Karatedo, Wushu, Cheonji-muye-do, and Hosin-sul. Currently he teaches Taeglish (English Tae Kwon Do) full-time in addition to writing for various magazines and running Kisa-Do Muye & Marketing. He can be contacted at kisa_do_muye@yahoo.ca.

26 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

to sing and dance with them. Pathetic but true. Feminism has a long way to go here. I strongly suggest you stay away from room salons. They are very expensive private singing rooms with very costly drinks and hired girls to drink and sing with you. Usually the idea is they “follow” you afterwards. Many are run by shady figures that are best to be avoided. Internet Cafes: Another popular hobby, particularly for students, is Internet cafes or PC Bangs. They are the same the world over. Many men go as well to gamble, play an online game or view adult sites. Gambling: This is another very old pastime going back centuries. The most popular game is gos-tof which is a kind of Korean poker using miniature picture cards. It can be fun but costly if you don’t know who you’re playing with. Among close friends and family, small money is up for grabs and the winner usually buys a late night snack and some alcohol. That’s your safest bet. Restaurants: If you like to really eat, kiss your belt goodbye. The most popular food for socializing is BBQ meats and chicken. The beef and pork is typically eaten with rice, various cold side dishes and various types of leafy vegetables. My favorites: v Kalbi: BBQ beef ribs v Seo golgi: Any variety of bite-size beef (use caution as beef is very expensive here) v Dwaeji-golgi/ kalbi: BBQ pork v Oh-ri golgi: BBQ duck v Sang-gyeop-sol: Thick BBQ chunks of bacon

Mountain Climbing/Trekking: Another popular and healthy hobby is mountain climbing. Be sure to bring lots of water, dress appropriately with good footwear, and bring some friends. Temple Visiting: Korean temples are breathtaking, particularly when on a mountain. Watch and try to emulate Korean visitors to make a good impression. Sports Events: Because of the 2002 World Cup, soccer is the number one sport in Korea. There is a massive soccer stadium in almost every city. Baseball is also very popular. Tae Kwon Do events are usually 90 percent children, so I strongly advise against it. Korean Saunas: Jim-jil-bangs are an interesting experience every foreigner has to try at least once. They are co-ed, family-friendly spas with large open rooms with TV sets and restaurants. There are also many smaller adjoining rooms of varying temperatures. You can stay the day and the night for a ridiculously cheap price. “Dutch Pay”: For us foreigners who like to “go Dutch,” this is likely comfortable. This is common amongst the younger generation. It’s also common if the people aren’t that close. “Membership”: In Korean, hwae-bi. Literally it means fee, but in this case it means how much everyone will chip in. Usually if there’s a lot left over after a trip or dinner, the remains will be used for a snack or something similar. “Bin-Dae”: This means a parasitic insect akin to a flea.

It refers to a person who tags along to many events and almost never pays. As a foreigner, you may get treated a lot, but PLEASE return the favor as often as possible. Even just buy some cans of coffee the next day. It only takes a few rude foreigners to make the rest of us look foolish. A way to tell if your new friends think you should pay or not is to offer to pay two to three times. If the answer is still no then you say next time or offer to go to a coffee shop or beer restaurant (hof ) and return the gesture. You look much better. Religion: Since the Joseon Dynasty, the church has slowly permeated every level of society. Christianity is by far the number one religion. Many go just out of fear of being excluded from social circles or promotions. Another thing is don’t be surprised if people ask bluntly, “Do you go to church?” or “Are you Christian?” Your reply is up to you. If you are Christian, it is a great way to meet a lot of people very quickly and make connections. Just don’t get suckered into doing two to six hours of free English classes on weekends for kids. Dating: This is a topic that will get its own spot next issue. It’s a touchy subject. Till then… “Daum ae bah-yo (See you next time)!”

Evan Pittman Brown Belt Tampa, Florida

Submit your Killer Kick photos, along with your name, age, rank and location to press@taekwondotimes.com or mail to: TKD Times Attn: Killer Kicks 3950 Wilson Ave SW Cedar Rapids, IA 52404 USA

(Left) Esperanza Liverio Orange Belt Seffner, Florida *photo by Stace Sanchez

Willie Jones 3rd Dan Lawrenceville, Georgia

28 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

Alexandre Gomez 7th Dan, Brazil

(Left) Nick Mills, age 9 Brown Belt Milford, Ohio

Perry Zmugg , Sin Moo Hap Ki Do Master, Austria

taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

Alan Roberts 2nd Dan, Tucson, Arizona

Submit your Big Break photos, along with your name, age, rank and location to press@taekwondotimes.com or mail to: TKD Times Attn: Big Break 3950 Wilson Ave SW Cedar Rapids, IA 52404 USA *September 2010 correction: Dan Carson, 2nd Dan, Springdale, Arkansas

Hank Minitrez 4th Dan, Woodbridge, Virginia

30 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

Rob Carr 2nd Dan, New Virginia, IA Photos by Jenniffer Wolff

Jerry Taylor, 7th Dan, Osgood, Indiana

taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

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businessman and although he was not physically on the floor, his presence was always felt. It was my Master who took me to Korea and opened the doors for my involvement with the Korean Tiger Professional Demonstration Team. I had already learned so much from my Master on managing a school, but it was this two years experience with the team in Korea of training, learning, and making connections that sealed the deal and prepared me to develop my own curriculum and open my own school someday. I knew upon returning to the states, I would no longer have my advertising business to support me, and for the first time, it would be necessary to support myself from teaching martial arts. My style had evolved, I had ideas that were too progressive for my old school and there was no place for me there. It would have been easier to return to Detroit; all my friends were still there, I had grown up there, and I knew the area. I had kept in contact with many of my old students, parents of students and instructors, some of who encouraged me to make a school nearby. I have no doubt that I could have opened my doors with some “starter students and staff ” from my old school. But I was wise enough to know things (and people/ relationships) that are stolen from another are never truly yours. Of all the things my Master taught me, the most important was respect and honor. Forever I will be grateful and appreciative of the opportunities he provided for me. There were no “non-compete” forms used by schools back then, but Michigan was the last place on Earth I would consider making a school. From Korea, I flew back to the states, bypassed Michigan completely and landed in North Carolina to establish White Tiger. I would build my school the right way, the hard way...I would earn it. Fifteen years later I was finally able and ready to show my school to my Master. As he entered the bustling school, I could see the sense of pride in his eyes. Yes, he was proud of me and happy for my success. He shared some of that pride as well, for his teachings instilled in me are what helped create this school. Although he resides near his school (a new beautiful school in a good area) in Michigan, in my heart and within the walls of White Tiger, his presence is always felt.

East Meets West

At our last black belt test, we were honored by having a very special guest judge; my Grandmaster, joined the testing panel. He was my instructor and tested me for my lower ranking black belt degrees. I had not seen my Master in over 15 years. The last time I saw him was when I was packing to move to Korea to join the Korean Tiger Professional Demonstration Team. Although I have not seen him in a decade and a half, I have no doubt that the character traits he instilled in his black belts are in part responsible for the great success of my school today. I selected his school from its reputation and had already made up my mind to join before I found out where it was located. “Good thing I’ll be learning self-defense, because I probably should not be in this part of town,” I would tell myself. There was a tattoo parlor as a neighbor on one side and I believe a massage parlor on the other side, hard to tell, the windows were blacked out. No parking in the front, had to park in the back and walk around the block. Inside, the training floor was covered in a big geometric pattern deep shag carpet. It made you a little dizzy when running laps at the beginning of class. The shag was great; you could grab a fistful and use it to pull yourself down when trying to stretch into the splits. The carpet was stinky enough to encourage you to push your face away from it when you thought you could not possibly do another push up. By today’s standards, with martial arts schools located in every new shopping center and padded wall to wall with Swain mats, this all sounds very funny. But back in the day, this was a nice school. It was our school and we loved it. My Master had a way of instilling pride and honor within our school and we were fiercely loyal. I remember when a new school opened down the road. It was so close we could see it from our front sidewalk. Out of curiosity, a few of us went to take a look inside. It was laid out nicely, big and clean, smelled nice too. Never once did it ever occur to anyone to “change schools”. Back then we did not have contracts binding us, we were free to go. Instead, we pitched in and bought some supplies. We called a few other students and over the weekend we cleaned up our own school and gave it a fresh coat of paint. We all understood that the new school was nicer, so we did our part to help bring our own school up to par. In time, I became the manager of the school. One day, a Master from another school stopped by to visit. He brought me a little gift from Korea and then offered me a job being the manager of his school. “Whatever you are being paid now, I will double,” he offered. I was flattered and offended at the same time. I was happy someone thought I was doing a good job taking care of the school, but it was out of the question that I would ever leave my school, especially to work for the competition. I respectfully declined the offer and laughed to myself. “Double of $0 is still $0, after all.” This was a labor of love, I was just a volunteer. Over the years, a variety of masters taught classes at our school. They would come and go, but Grandmaster made sure the school was always being taken care of. Our leader attended more and more to his duties of being an owner and

By Master Rondy

6 I^\Zg¸h Eg^YZ

Master Rondy is a sixth-degree black belt in WTF Taekwondo, a fourth-degree in Hapkido and a second-degree in Kickboxing. She was the only non-Asian member of the Korean Tigers Professional Martial Arts Team, spending two years in Korea, living in Seoul and YongIn. Master Rondy successfully blends the cultures of a Korean teaching staff and an American management staff for her 24,000 square foot superschool located in Cary, North Carolina. For more information visit whitetigertkd.com.

taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

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Uif!6ui!Boovbm!V/T/!Ubflxpoep!Hsboenbtufs!Tpdjfuz! By David W. Higgs

After an eight hour drive to Dallas, Texas, to the United States Taekwondo Grandmaster Society (USTGS) held in April 2010, I was soon mingling with old friends from the TKD community and making the acquaintance of many of whom I had only known previously by reputation. My TKD Times press pass allowed me to meet legends in American Tae Kwon Do. I was part of the group filled with conversations of “old war stories” that come to the surface when old friends are reunited after some years apart. The USTGS was formed in 2002 as a non-profit organization for the purpose of promoting TKD and its philosophies throughout the U.S. In so doing, it is the hope of this organization to aid in the preservation of the history of Tae Kwon Do in general and American TKD specifically, and to recognize the achievements and contributions of the pioneers of American Tae Kwon Do. It also serves as the superior national governing organization of Tae Kwon Do in the United States.1 The meetings began at 9:00 a.m. the next day as the Board of Directors met under the direction of USTGS President Grandmaster Kyu Boong Yim, Honorary President Won Chik Park, and Treasurer John J. Choi. I stayed long enough to learn that all meetings were to be held in the Korean language. Although I do not speak nor understand Korean, I was intrigued by this element. To some extent I took this decision to mean that Tae Kwon Do, even after all of its Americanization, was still a Korean commodity. I take no offense in this aspect. In fact, I applaud it.

Executive Board meeting

34 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

As Americans we all too often adapt to situations or adopt new practices without question. Adaptation is a form of survival. But TKD’s adaptations and evolution does not diminish its Korean identity. It has become the vehicle by which Korean culture and values are shared with the world. I cannot imagine TKD without Korea. Throughout the course of the day I attended the meetings; all held in the Korean language. I spent time with old friends who invited me to training sessions and demonstrations. The World Class Poom-Sae Training Clinic was conducted by three-time World Champion Grandmaster Jae Yoon Ahn. Grandmaster

GM Yim addressing the audience.

Ahn’s attention to precision and detail leaves no question to his being awarded the title of Grand Champion. During the lectures I was surprised to learn that if I paid close attention, I could follow the lecture presented by Dr. He-Young Kimm regarding the nature of the various Tae Kwon Do organizations in the United States; ITF, WTF, and independent groups. Having worked closely with Dr. Kimm in the past, I was able to pick up on key phrases that he used to understand portions of his lecture. I was further surprised when I was able to follow the lecture of S. Henry Cho who addressed the early history of TKD in the United

Grandmasters in attendance

States and his statement that some of the early Tae Kwon Do pioneers were actually in the U.S. before the name Tae Kwon Do was even popularized in Korea. Dr. Nam Kwon Hyong led a lively presentation on goal setting and how to be successful in achieving your goals. Little translation was needed with Dr. Hyong’s slide show and body language. His meaning of “optimism” was quite clear! The greatest bit of news came with the overview of the proposed Tae Kwon Do Park to be built in Korea. The project was proposed in 2004 and has steadily grown over the past few years. The proposed park is to cover nearly six hundred acres (2.5 million square meters) in the countryside of Korea. It is dedicated to the training of all aspects of Tae Kwon Do and Korean culture. Areas of the park will be set aside for various types of training, including physical, mental, and spiritual. Hotels and youth hostels will be provided to accommodate foreign visitors during their journeys to the Tae Kwon Do homeland. It is estimated that the park will serve nearly two million visitors per year. I never considered living in a monastery, but to find a nice peaceful mountain retreat which maintains an emphasis on martial art training…what a refreshing experience that would be! Throughout the course of the conference I began to acquire a new understanding of TKD and its significance to the Korean people. It is not merely a means of self-defense or ancient martial art handed down throughout history. It is much more. It is a device of self-expression and sense of identity. Even though disagreements exist among the different branches and organizations of TKD, there is still a sense of unity and point of reference for communication. It reminded me of the scene from the movie City Slickers when Bonnie, the only female character on the cattle drive, questioned why men were so engrossed in baseball. The question was answered by Phil, who merely said, “I don’t know, but when I was about eighteen and my Dad and I couldn’t talk about anything else, we could still talk about baseball.” It was their common ground.

Tae Kwon Do is the common ground for Koreans. When politics, economics, or other worldly events cloud the day-to-day issues, Koreans can still fall back on Tae Kwon Do. It is more than their national sport. It is their message to the world that throughout thousands of years of invasion and even oppression that they still exist as a unique culture in the midst of their neighbors. It is a means by which they pass along to the next generation their sense of values and the integrity that kept them from being overcome by invading nations. This perspective provides an interesting lesson from a nation and culture that spent the great half of the twentieth century fighting to overcome invasion and assimilation as well as to establish recognizable boundaries between their nation and those of their neighbors. Every conference has it goals and everyone in attendance has their own private agenda. Mine was unclear at the beginning of the USTGS Conference but I certainly came away from it feeling that I was better for having experienced it. The final night was set aside for the awards banquet. Various members were recognized for their achievements and contributions; some of which were the result of lifelong endeavors toward the promotion of Tae Kwon Do. Congratulations to the United States Taekwondo Grandmaster Society, its members, and award recipients. The steps that are being taken through this organization will benefit Tae Kwon Do and its practitioners for years to come. The future of TKD is more promising due to the efforts of these pioneers. 1 “About the USTGS”, Mission Statement; www.usgrandmasters.com/ about.html. April, 2010.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: David W. Higgs began martial art training in 1973. He holds the rank of fifth-degree black belt in Han Mu Do and fifth-degree black belt in Hapkido and thirddan in Tae Kwon Do. He has received extensive training from Dr. He-Young Kimm of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Grandmaster J.R. West of Ridgeland, Mississippi; and Professor Sergio Chavez of Dallas, Texas. taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

I@9 7ZgbjYV By Edmond Johnson

When you think of Bermuda, you often think of soft pink sand, crystal blue water and the oh-so-soothing tropical breeze, but this island plays host to another treasure, Tae Kwon Do. Tae Kwon Do was brought to Bermuda in the 1980s by Grandmaster Sun Hwan Chung of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and his student David Avery. In the early 80s, Master Avery came to Bermuda to start a new life with his first wife, who at the time was a citizen and resident of Bermuda. Although new to Bermuda, Master Avery saw a need to introduce TKD to the Bermuda public. At the time, Bermuda was dominated by the martial arts of Karate and JuJitsu. After several demonstrations and tournaments, TKD began to gain popularity and in 1983, the first dojang was built and the Bermuda Taekwondo Association was born. The Bermuda Taekwondo Association was opened in the fall of that year and was located on Bermuda’s serene

north shore. Bermudians were taught in Grandmaster Sun Hwan Chung’s style of Moo Sool Do which incorporates Tae Kwon Do, Tang Soo Do and Chung’s devastating style of Hapkido. The Bermuda Taekwondo Association would be the first of many dojangs to open on the island. During 1997, a reform in the Bermuda education system would play catalyst to the birth of a new dojang and breed of TKD. To combat discipline issues in Bermuda, a new mega school called Cedar Bridge Academy, implemented extracurricular activities, including TKD. The Cedar Bridge Academy Club was formed by Kyo Sa Nim Collin Paynter, a decorated police officer, and a warrior in the dojang. Kyo Sa Nim Paynter was my first instructor and a great teacher. Sadly, due to his civil duty to protect and serve, the school was dissolved and only two of the dojang’s students still practice TKD, Kyo Sa Nim Ijea Caines and me, Master Edmond Johnson. While the Cedar Bridge Academy was open, several guest instructors would train

taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

with us. One of them was Master Myron Burchall of Dragon Taekwondo. At the time, Dragon Taekwondo was well known for their meticulous practice and critique of poomsae and militant approach to Kyorugi and the art of Moo Sool Do. Today, I am grateful to Master Burchall for training me and introducing me to Grandmaster Chung. Sport TKD hit our islands in 2001. Located in the western parish of Paget, the Twin Tigers Academy was a dojang that specialized in Kyorugi, with the head instructor being a black belt from Canada, Derrick Evening. The school closed after three years of exemplary training so the instructors could focus on their personal development as TKD players. Other Korean arts schools also opened up on the island. The Traditional Taekwondo Academy, which is run by Master Alene Francis, and Pak’s Karate of Bermuda, which is run by Kyo Sa Nim Alan Lobby and is the only Tang Soo Do dojang on the island. In 2003, I opened Yong Duk Taekwondo Academy (Yong Duk translates into the courage and virtue). Since its inception, the school has gained popularity on the island and captivated Bermuda with dem-

Kurt Scott locks in on Jeral Jackman with an arial assault.

38 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

onstrations of their Latin/Caribbean style of Kyorugi, called “ bermy baa-eh,” bermy being short for Bermuda, which has helped contribute to the dojang’s success. More than 90 percent of all students enrolled at Yong Duk Taekwondo are in their mid to late teens; which makes teaching and training exciting, due to the fearless element of teenagers as well as their constant hunger for achievement and success. Ji-Shinn Taekwondo is my newest school on the island. Both schools are affiliated with Grandmaster Sun Hwan Chung and all dan ranks are earned through him and his organization. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Master Edmond Johnson was born on the island of Bermuda. At age 27, he represents four successful generations of Grandmaster Chung’s system and TKD in Bermuda. Edmond began his training at the age of 13. He is now a fourth-dan black belt.

Men’s black belt finalists red=Jashun Thomas blue= Peter Mglashun

7ZgbjYV I@9 deZc In June 2010, Bermuda held its first TKD competition after almost 30 years on the island. The Bermuda Taekwondo Open was held in the Jessie Veesey Sports Center with 60 contestants participating. The day was filled with action-packed bouts and spectators were astounded at the acrobatic accuracy of Tae Kwon Do. The divisions ran from age five and under to black belt, with both male and female divisions. The under five division had spectators on their feet when Darhjze Swann, four years old, released a flurry of kicks, including a 540-degree tornado kick. The male heavy division thrilled onlookers when Kurt Scott battled Jeral Jackman. Scott went head to head with Jackman, winning with a sudden death spinning back kick, the same technique that was also used by Jenea Saltus to win the female division. In the end, it was a day to be remembered as the first of many Bermuda TKD events. Jeral showing his skills.

Darhje Swann

Female competitors with winner in blue Jenae Saltus.

red=Jermal Proctor blue=Darhjze Swann

taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

Master the Basics

By Stephen DiLeo

7ZndcY IZX]c^fjZ It goes without saying that good instructors know the value of constantly teaching the basics, especially for beginners and younger students. However, in my 30 years of experience, it is less common for instructors to cultivate the personal characteristics that allow students to go beyond their physical limits. The characteristics I am referring to are the five tenets of Tae Kwon Do. While all five are admirable traits, perseverance and indomitable spirit are specifically relevant to helping students reach higher levels of success in their day jobs, their relationships, school, as well as their efforts in the Dojang. Perseverance represents the will to not give up and indomitable spirit keeps a person from giving in. Consider that everyone has physical limits which force us to reach a performance plateau at some point in our training. In order to move beyond that point, something else must be at work—something beyond physical technique. That something is the perseverance to move beyond arbitrary limits and overcome any obstacle in the way; in short, to never accept anything less than personal excellence. Recently, this point was brought home to me as I interviewed a young man from my hometown, Charlie Brenneman. Charlie is a former Division I Academic All-American wrestler, winner of Spike TV’s Joes vs. Pros, and a current UFC fighter. His nickname is the “Spaniard” and he comes from an average, rural, Central Pennsylvania family blessed with discipline and a strong work ethic. He attended Lock Haven University (Mat Town, USA, known for its winning wrestling program), where he graduated with a degree in secondary education. Charlie returned home to his alma mater, Hollidaysburg High School, to teach Spanish and help out as an assistant wrestling coach. After teaching for a while, Brenneman was beset by a constant urge to return to competition, perhaps as a professional MMA fighter. When I asked Charlie about the need to go back to the fight game, he told me that it was not something he could put into words, but rather, something that was there all the time; the type of decision that would literally keep you up at night! The more he ignored it, the stronger it got. Of course his announce-

42 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

ment to leave his teaching position raised more than a few eyebrows—and with good reason. Why would anyone want to leave the security of a good job, the comfort of family and friends, and the familiarity of home all for the privilege of trading punches with some of the most dangerous fighters on the planet? Actually, the reason turned out to be pretty simple. Charlie was not ready to give up Charlie Brenneman, UFC fighter

is not losing a competition. His point, forgetdream was to ting a form, or become a UFC missing a break; fighter and he rather, the only knew with comtime we truly fail plete certainty is when we give that he had the up and stop trytalent and mental ing. Perseverance maturity to do is a characteristic it, regardless of that applies to the obstacles that all areas of a stumay stand in his dent’s life, or as way. Of course, Vince Lombardi as with any sucwould say, “It cessful fighter, his is an all the (three year) road time thing” that to the Octagon affects anything was not without and everything. bumps. There The Spaniard set to ground and pound his opponent. (for more info on Charlie’s story, check out www.charlie-brenneman.com) Charlie were significant Brenneman’s financial challengstory is a terrific example of what we should all es, and the risk of injury was a constant concern. In strive for: have a dream; set a goal; find the courfact, a serious eye injury nearly cost him his sight. age to pursue it; and have the perseverance to see it Despite that scare, Brenneman said once he fully through! recovered his sight, “The decision to forge ahead took only minutes.” Even though Charlie is a gifted athlete, his choice to never give up had nothing to do with his physical talent; it was something much deeper; it was, in fact, the same something that defines the difference between those that achieve their goals and those that do not. As students and instructors, we need to encourage and develop perseverance when and where it is possible to do so. This is what will carry a student who is filled with doubt about mastering a technique or learning a new form. Most students have within themselves the drive to move beyond their temporary failures and find the desire to succeed, provided they recognize that the only true failure Master Stephen DiLeo is an author, martial artist, and instructor who has been part of the Central Pennsylvania martial arts community for over 30 years. He is a fourth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, a first-degree black belt in Tang Soo Do, and has studied several other arts throughout his career. Master DiLeo is a graduate of Penn State University as well as one of the chief instructors and co-owners of the Altoona Academy of TKD. He is also the AAU Chairman for Western Pennsylvania. Over the last 25 years, Master DiLeo has taught at numerous summer camps, directed many tournaments, and has delivered various seminars. He has created a number of programs including: Dynamic Striking for Combat and Conditioning; Cardio TKD Kickboxing Fitness; and Practical Self-Defense. He can be reached at sdileo2020@gmail.com.

October Gold Medal Martial Arts

Gold Medal Martial Arts is home to over 600 students who train in the Olympic sport and traditional martial art of Tae Kwon Do. 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist Herb Perez created the school to build a community-based resource to enhance the life skills of young athletes. The school is located on a beautiful lagoon in Foster City, California, just outside of San Francisco. In June 2010, Gold Medal opened a second location in Burlingame, California. The 6000 squarefoot facility boasts state of the art equipment and programs. Grandmaster Perez and his students have become an integral part of the social and civic community. The school was chosen as ‘Best of the Bay’ for all martial arts schools in Northern California by KRON4 television. The school donated over $80,000 to local schools and recreation programs. “We believe that our children learn the life skills associated with Tae Kwon Do through action,” explains Perez. “Our donations help keep physical fitness in the schools, music in the park, and sports teams outfitted.” The strength of Gold Medal’s program is its familycentric schedule. “We have classes for every member of the family, regardless of age or ability. Our sched-

44 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

ule starts at 5:30 a.m. and ends at 9:00 p.m.,” adds Grandmaster Perez. “We have Olympic Judo, Jeet Kung Do, Army Ranger Fitness, Cage Fitness, TRX, and XMA classes.” There are classes for children as young as three years old. Additionally, there is a cardio fitness class called KiDo for Moms. Gold Medal’s curriculum is a combination of the Olympic development materials Perez has created for USA Taekwondo and Century Inc. The TORCH program is the perfect program to foster interest in young athletes while developing their core skills. “After the TORCH program our athletes are introduced to the Elite Olympic development curriculum we designed for USAT. All of our instructors become certified USAT coaches.” The school continues to grow and foster new and exciting partnerships in the community. “Tae Kwon Do is a life practice. We develop better citizens through the training in martial arts. We had a vision for what was possible and every day we share that with our students and families.”

For more information visit www.goldmedalcenter.com.

Nominate your school as a TKDT School of the Month! Send an email to press@taekwondotimes.com.

taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

November World Black Belts Center World Black Belts Center was established in 1990. The current headquarters located in Dubai opened in 2004. They pride themselves on being the first Tang Soo Do & MMA center in the Middle East as well as the first to bring Brazilian Juijitsu to Dubai. The school has world champion instructors, including Rio Altaie, Tam Khan (MMA), Eduardo Machado (BJJ) and Alex Andreas (TKD) and caters to the ground and pound sector, as well as families that want to study martial arts. They have a state of the art center that teaches seven different arts, including Tang Soo Do, Hapkido, Arnis, MMA, BJJ, Kickboxing and Kung Fu. They have also had their own TV show to help educate people in the Middle East about martial arts. They hold several seminars around the world including H.E.L.P (Hapkido Executive Learning Program), which is private lessons in self-defense for managers and executives, Never Feel Helpless Again, an anti-rape program, and Malak (angel in Arabic), an anti-abduction

46 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s program. World Black Belts Center tries to bring the biggest names in martial arts to Dubai, including Royce Gracie, Anderson Silva and Xande Ruberio. Next year, Grandmaster Pelligrini and Richard Norton will visit to share their knowledge with the new generation of martial artists in Dubai. Head Instructor Rio Altaie has been dubbed the Godfather of Martial Arts in Dubai, with 25 years of training and recently earning his sixth-dan in Tang Soo Do.

For more information, visit www.thewbbc.com.

Nominate your school as a TKDT School of the Month! Send an email to press@taekwondotimes.com.

Rio Altaie

taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

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4HE .EXT 'ENERATION By Elvis Mendez

The seedling grew to be a mighty oak. There is no denying the power of genetics. Master Michael Lee is recognized as one of the strongest representatives of the new generation of Tae Kwon Do practitioners who are taking this martial art full throttle into the 21st century. Being the son of the legendary Grandmaster Lee Byung Moo undoubtedly played an important role in positioning Michael Lee at the vanguard of the new generation of Tae Kwon Do masters. Grandmaster Lee Byung Moo is one of the pioneers who helped shape this Korean martial art in its inception. Being born to such high pedigree is arguably a factor in Michael Leeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s innate talents, but his dedication, focus, tenacity and hard work over a long period of time are the most salient factors in Michael Leeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success as a student, teacher, mentor, master and competitor. Master Michael Lee was born in Singapore in 1969 to a young, struggling Lee Byung Moo, who, at the time, was defining his style of Tae Kwon Do Chung Do Kwan and promoting, with nationalistic pride, this new Korean martial art. Little Michael started training at age six under the watchful eyes of his doting father, and soon proved to be a natural, excelling in the rigorous, physically demanding training exercises. Although perhaps not appreciated by the young Michael at the time, his father expected the same, if not superior, performance from him when training alongside the rest of the students. Young Michael Lee adopted this discipline and the high expectations and made them an intrinsic part of his training and philosophy. His instincts and quest for perfection have translated into a successful, renowned career in martial arts. taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

In the early years of his martial arts training, Michael Leeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s demure demeanor and shy personality belied the fiery competitor and focused warrior who consistently prevailed in match after match in regional tournaments, winning top positions every time he competed. In 1983, he participated as a teenager in his first full-contact tournament at the first Greater New York TKD Association competition, winning golds in both forms and sparring. At the next yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tournament, Michael took gold again in forms, the only category in which he chose to compete. In 1985 at age 16, Michael Lee took part in the All-American Open Worldwide Tournament at Madison Square Garden. The event was presided over by Mr. Henry Cho. I was fortunate to be present at this event and witness the magical performance of this incredible fighter. Michael Lee fought the best fighters from all over the world. After the grueling black belt rounds, which lasted most of the day, the final bouts began. Michael ended up among the top finalists after a long, hard day of nonstop sparring in the elimination process. He was the youngest competitor in this select group, most of whom were older and more experienced than Michael. Before the last bout, the score was tied for first place, with Michael at the verge of becoming

52 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

the youngest Worldwide Grand Champion. At the end of the bout, one tricky, questionable point kept Michael from being crowned the first place winner. He, nonetheless, proudly assumed his second place position, an outstanding feat given his young age and limited experience. The intrinsic values, discipline and high expectations that were instilled in him since he began training with his father kicked in when the forms category started later in the evening. He was registered to compete with the form Kae Baek. The nature of the competition called for the best practitioners of martial arts from around the world to showcase their talents and skills. Michael Lee faced daunting competition. When his moment came, he harnessed all his years of training and the guidance of his legendary father into a laserlike focus, and with surgical precision executed a flawless form with such an impressive ending that the auditorium erupted in claps and cheers. He achieved this with a strong, high sidekick, quickly whipping his long leg, creating a loud snap from his uniform that echoed through the microphones. Onlookers responded with loud, spontaneous stomping and yelling as orchestral music filled the theater. Michael owned the night and became first place winner, achieving a dream that eludes most seasoned martial artists. As the Grand Champion in this category, he received a seven-foot tall trophy which became the pride of his father, his school and his fellow students. The honor of such an impressive award was bestowed upon him by Shotokan Master Sabbach.

Master Lee continued to compete and win awards and accolades, as he also furthered his training and development as a martial artist. Today he runs the Masters Martial Arts School in Syosset, Long Island, where he teaches a combination of traditional Tae Kwon Do and Thai Kick Boxing with an emphasis on physical fitness. He completed his academic studies at Geneva College where he received a Degree in Psychology. Master Michael Lee now considers himself a marketer and mentor of martial arts. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to interview Master Michael Lee recently:. Elvis Mendez: I know by personal experience that your martial arts foundation is solidly based in the traditional way of Tae Kwon Do; but today you follow the WTF Olympic system. How do you reconcile both? Michael Lee: Absolutely! The foundation is very important because that is where your roots are. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where you grow from. A very good foundation is the starting point that helps you to improvise and implement new systems; because the phenomenon is already in your nature, you have the ability of learning new and modern ways which you can implement in your teachings. I know as a fact the past always affects the future. Elvis Mendez: I know your fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trajectory and legacy. I also know that he taught at Columbia University. He is now retired, but you seem to have followed in his footsteps. You now have your own school and have taught at Columbia University for close to 20 years. Michael Lee: Yes, I love teaching. At Columbia, I have trained over 400 students, of which

approximately 30 percent are black belts today. Some of them have gone to achieve even higher degrees. Elvis Mendez: Could a master be a true master without teaching? Michael Lee: I think you need to both train, to master your skills, and also teach. Both actions go together since one complements the other. When you teach you also learn. There is a sublime symbiosis where both the teacher and the student grow through a give and take process. As the teacher shares his knowledge, he also receives the feedback of what works and validation of his abilities. The student receives the knowledge of new skills; the teacher receives the knowledge of self-realization. I love teaching because I believe that if you have a gift; it is your responsibility to share it. Elvis Mendez: What is your goal today as a teacher and as a businessman? What do you want to give back to the community? Michael Lee: As an instructor and as a businessman I have some goals in mind. One is to have a community where people respect each other, which starts by people respecting themselves. I believe that respect begins by people taking care of themselves, by improving their diets, their lifestyles, their thinking and their attitudes. In my training sessions, I try to incorporate more basic boxing and kickboxing, and I place great emphasis on physical fitness, not just self-defense. taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

movements required by the forms. I don’t want them to quit if they get disappointed. I never set up my students for failure. I tend to set them up for success and for that reason, I keep it simple and fun. When they are ready to move up to the next level, and are ready for sparring and forms, they can go to a more intense training at the Black Belt Club, a separate class for more advanced students. Elvis Mendez: Which forms do you teach? I make the classes vigorous and energetic, but most of all, I make the classes fun! People like to sweat and have a good workout. They like to feel their clothes getting looser on them. They like to see themselves in the mirror and notice that they look thinner. This in turn builds confidence and healthier self-esteem. This always translates to feelings of well being and self respect—this makes them come back for more, and this is where the business side takes over. What I teach is a very traditional system converted to a modern system. We don’t teach fancy techniques, we teach powerful, energetic techniques that have two purposes: the practical application to self-defense and the physical benefits of the exercises. Elvis Mendez: Do you strictly teach TKD in your school? Michael Lee: I actually teach T&T, which stands for Tae Kwon Do and Thai Boxing. Tae Kwon Do is the traditional art which children enjoy the most. The TKD forms offer the benefits of focus and concentration since they require coordination and memory, and spatial and body control. They involve spinning, kicks and splits. Children are ideally suited to derive the most benefits from these exercises. The average adult, on the other hand, is not expected to memorize 40 steps, or master flying back kicks or splits. A lot of them may suffer from vertigo if they attempt some of the extreme 54 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

Michael Lee: Uh… that’s a very good question. We integrate both the ITF and the WTF forms. We start with ITF forms as a foundation because of its strong hand techniques, but when it comes to modern tournaments and modern training, I require my students to learn WTF forms because the WTF is so strong in terms of competition in the Olympics, and successful competition in tournaments. We generally start with the ITF’s second form, Dan Gun and move on to Kwang Gey. We don’t do Chung Gi, after Kwang Gey, we do the Tae Guk One, because the stances are not so low. If you think about it, for a beginner it is very difficult to hold a very low stance. Because of the physical attributes of our more mature students, we adjusted the low stance to poses our average mature student can handle. I strive for a method that is fun and motivating for the students. Elvis Mendez: Do you allow physical contact in your classes? Michael Lee: The only ones that are allowed to spar are students that have trained for over six months, generally blue belts and up, and we require protective sparring gears. Elvis Mendez: Some martial arts teachers teach only in the evening since they hold 9-to-5 jobs. In your case, do you teach all day? Michael Lee: At the beginning, I used to teach

10 to 12 hours a day. But now I have delegated some of the responsibilities to a staff, thus freeing some hours that I use to attend to the marketing and administrative aspects of the business. At the beginning, it was very hard. I had to do everything; I was the teacher, I was the secretary, I was the only one responsible for mopping the floor. Elvis Mendez: What types of students come to you for private lessons? Michael Lee: I have students who sign up for private training as young as six; but the average private student is 40, and this group encompasses a wide range of professions and background: housewives, trade people, professionals like attorneys and doctors, and generally people from all walks of life. On the average, they are mature individuals who are respectful and dedicated and a blessing to teach. Elvis Mendez: You have vast experience in martial arts and come with the training and discipline passed down from one of the founders of Tae Kwon Do. But you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t rely solely on the great foundation you were fortunate to receive from your father. How have you expanded your learning? Michael Lee: Training in martial arts never stops. I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t still fight blindfolded; I still need my eyes. I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fight with one leg; I need both legs. I may be a master and a tournament champion, but I can always learn something within my own style from other practitioners, and I can always learn from other styles. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m presently learning weapons techniques from a good instructor friend of mine. He is teaching me the Escrima. I was trained in kickboxing, and I am continuously updating my skills in this discipline with one of the best, Master Sang. He has effectively systematized the T&Tâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; Tae Kwon Do & Thai Kick Boxing. Elvis Mendez: Some last words for our readers? Michael Lee: I want to take this opportunity to urge everyone to follow their dreams with their whole heart, their whole mind, infusing it with their whole soul and passion. You must undertake your mission with a strong purpose and absolute

integrity in order to be successful physically, emotionally, spiritually and financially. It is up to each individual to achieve this balance. *** Michael Lee is married to Jamie Lee. They have two children, Jonathan and Madison. Today he owns his own school by the name of Masters Martial Arts located in the town of Syosset, in Long Island, New York, where he has become a very well known and respected businessman.

&OR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW MASTERSMA COM ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Elvis Mendez is a doctor in holistic medicine and acupuncture. He teaches close-quarter Hapkid and Tae Kwon Do. He has just finished writing a book to be titled Echo of the Masters: The Missing Links in the Evolution of TKD, History and Tradition. Edited by Reynaldo Polanco Photos by Jairo Mendoza and Michael Korol

taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

A New Chuck Norris Fact:

He Turned

By Guy Edward Larke Who hasn’t read or heard one of the many Chuck Norris Facts that have flooded the media? It turned the retired five-time World Karate champion and movie star into even more of a household name. Facts range from, “The boogeyman checks his closet every night for Chuck Norris” to “Chuck Norris doesn’t do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down.” He is now considered by many to be the toughest and manliest celebrity in the U.S. For old time fans, he’s remembered for his famous duel with Bruce Lee in the Roman Coliseum in Way of the Dragon. My generation remembers him as J.J. McQuade in the widely successful Lone Wolf McQuade. For recent fans, it’s the long running series Walker, Texas Ranger that rings a bell. And for anyone who uses a computer, the Chuck Norris Facts are fresh in everyone’s minds. For many he has been a mentor, a teacher, and a role model. For me, he was an icon to look up to throughout my difficult youth. He didn’t wear a cape, use foul language, have tattoos, or get involved in anything remotely seedy. He was the boy next door who became a man…in more ways than one. He set an example for me growing up, 56 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

helped inspire me in the martial arts and was integral in my move to South Korea, the land where he first experienced the martial arts. What most don’t realize are the many things he has accomplished. First and foremost, he’d like to be considered a family man. Between his wife, children, grandchildren, and other extended family, he is a very satisfied human being. By far it is where his greatest pride lies. He is also a writer, a scholar, a patriot, a warrior, a philanthropist, a political activist, a devout Christian and an actor. The following is a list of a few of his accomplishments: a Six-time Middleweight Karate Champion a Starred in 23 motion pictures a Starred in CBS’s longest running television series Walker, Texas Ranger a Named an honorary Air Force recruiter by the U.S. Military

a Achievement award for being an outstanding airman also by the U.S. Military a Founder of Chun Kuk Do (The Universal Way) a Tenth-degree black belt in Chun Kuk Do

has become the standard for all Chun Kuk Do black belts. It is as follows: 1. I will develop myself to the maximum of my potential in all ways.

a Brown belt in Machado Jiu Jitsu

2. I will forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements.

a Founder of the United Fighting Arts Federation (www.ufaf.org)

3. I will continually work at developing love, happiness and loyalty in my family.

a Founder of the Kick Start program (www.kickstart.org)

4. I will look for the good in all people and make them feel worthwhile.

a Honorary eighth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do

5. If I have nothing good to say about a person, I will say nothing.

a Founder of the World Combat League (www.wcl. com)

6. I will always be as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.

a Author of several books (autobiographies, instructional texts, motivational works and fiction)

7. I will maintain an attitude of open-mindedness.

A number of years ago, I met a Buddhist priest in the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada. He told me that in Buddhism, a man who had a complete life was a child, a parent, a student, a teacher, an artist and a scholar. I think most will agree he has fulfilled those prerequisites and then some. His progressive and scientific system, Chun Kuk Do, has a philosophy that is simple and can be summed up by his code of personal conduct that

8. I will maintain respect for those in authority and demonstrate this respect at all times. 9. I will always remain loyal to my God, my country, family and my friends. 10. I will remain highly goal-oriented throughout my life because that positive attitude helps my family, my country and myself. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to thank my Chun Kuk Do instructor and good friend, Steve Nelson, the editor of the Chun Kuk Do Magazine, Ms. Astrid Fabian, and my family for enduring my life-long idolization of Chuck Norris and my love of the martial arts in general. And to Grandmaster Chuck Norris: You have made everything I have accomplished so far possible. Thank you. All photos provided by the United Fighting Arts Federation. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Guy Edward Larke sabumnim has dedicated his life from a young age to the pursuit of the martial arts, Asian culture and hopology. It led him to Korea in 2000 and he has lived there since. He lives in Daejeon city with his wife Gi-Ryung and son Alexander. He holds black belts in Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido, Taekkyon, Bon Kuk Kumdo, Korean kickboxing, Karate-do, Wushu, Cheonji-muye-do, and Hosin-sul. Currently he teaches Taeglish (English Tae Kwon Do) full-time in addition to writing for various magazines and running KisaDo Muye & Marketing. He can be contacted at kisa_do_mute@ yahoo.ca.

taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

A Break in the Clouds

World Record Skydiving Board Break Raises Awareness for Child Abduction Education By Eric Stalloch

Ten seconds after jumping from the Cessna Caravan, martial arts instructor Travis Donley was falling at 120 miles-per-hour. 13,750 feet below, the ground was fast approaching. With time slipping away, his team quickly navigated into position. On June 20, 2010, 27 seconds after leaving the plane and at an altitude of 9,700 feet, he broke the Guinness Book World Record by breaking two boards in rapid succession while skydiving, a record first established in 1998 by his instructor, Grandmaster Clifford C. Crandall, Jr. What motivated him to attempt the break? It was a publicity event to raise awareness for child abduction prevention education. As Donley explained to the news media following the jump, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is safer for me to break boards while skydiving than it is for many children to walk home from school. Child safety is something that everyone needs to remain concerned with.â&#x20AC;? taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

Today there are nearly 600,000 registered sex offenders in the United States. In a 2002 study, the U.S. Department of Justice stated that 797,500 children were reported missing in a single year for an average of 2,185 children reported missing daily. “Every generation has a responsibility to educate the next generation regarding the world’s growing dangers,” Donley reminded. “It’s not about being paranoid; it’s about acknowledging that our society has predators. Sometimes we take for granted that children know how to respond in complex situations. But, unless each individual child is taught about strangers, being lost, or using the Internet, it is has not become common sense for them.” I asked Donley if he had any recommendations regarding child safety that are sometimes overlooked. “We know that predators attempt to exploit children’s natural desire to be helpful. Therefore, children need to be taught how they can be helpful by following the rule: ‘To help a big person, find another big person.’ Children need to be reminded to tell their parents or guardians about what is happening in their lives. The challenge for the adult is to not become emotional or overreact if a child tells you they were approached by a stranger in an area where they weren’t supposed to be playing. Punishing a child for breaking the rules also guarantees they will not tell anyone about another incident. It is important then to contact the local police and school district with the information as well.” Donley also recommended teaching children how to find help when they become lost. “Children should look for helpers, men and women in uniforms such as postal workers, police officers, or security guards. Taking the time to introduce a child to these people will make them more comfortable in approaching them if they are lost. If lost in a store, they should look for the cash register. The clerk will be able to get help.” 60 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

“Yes, knowledge is the key,” elaborated Crandall, who participated as a videographer and timer. “The brain is like a computer. It is a powerful tool, but without the right software, it cannot act. Arming the mind with knowledge can make the difference between children being abducted or escaping.” Grandmaster Crandall recommends learning a circular arm breakaway. “An attacker typically grabs a child with the intention of pulling the child out of sight and into a secluded area. The circular motion of this technique involves a change of direction that utilizes the attacker’s strength to assist the child in escaping. Swing your arm in one direction, and then quickly reverse direction and complete several circles in the opposite direction with large, sweeping rotations at the shoulder joint. Both clockwise and counter clockwise, motions are effective. Completing the extra circles once freed is important. They visually distract the attacker and prevent him from immediately grabbing the child. Back away while completing the extra circles, then run.” Donley has trained in American Eagle style, under Grandmaster Crandall, for more than 18 years and is a fourth-degree black belt at the American Martial Arts Institute. He is the chief instructor at StartSkydiving. com in Middletown, Ohio, and has logged over 2,400 jumps. In 2007, he joined Team Fastrax, the world’s largest professional skydiving team, founded by John Hart, who was one of the board holders. Donley performs demonstration skydives globally. He has also jumped with the world’s largest American flag, 7,800 square-feet, ever flown under a parachute, including over ground zero in New York City on the anniversary of September 11. It was Crandall who first introduced Donley to skydiving in 2002. Grandmaster Crandall founded the American Martial Arts Institute and American Eagle style and has over 48 years of martial arts training. As

Breaking free from an attacker

a retired superintendent, principal, and teacher, he has prioritized the safety of children. Among his numerous books and DVDs, he coauthored Be Safe Physically and Mentally with the Crandall System to help teach children self-defense skills. Donley wanted to build on Crandall’s initiatives and become more active as an advocate for child safety. He realized skydiving could open the door. “I approached Grandmaster Crandall in 2008 and asked him how he would feel about me attempting to better his record. He was immediately supportive.” Crandall agreed. “Travis is an exceptional skydiver and dedicated martial artist. I knew he could break my record’s time. The world has grown smaller through advances in technology. It is now possible for a criminal to lure a child out of the safety of their own home by using the Internet much like they would use a “lost” puppy in a park. Our children face smarter, more aggressive predators today which require heightened awareness and education. We realized the increased difficulty to protect children demanded the new record attempt increase in difficulty as well.” Crandall established the record in 1998 by breaking a 1”x12”x10” pine board with a lunge punch at an altitude of 5,200 in 29 seconds. Donley set the new record by breaking two 1”x12”x10” pine boards held by separate holders. He executed the first break, turned 180°, and performed the second break while freefalling ‘belly-toearth’. This type of break possesses unique risks. Unlike a traditional break, the boards cannot simply be dropped because they are also falling at 120 milesper-hour. A loose board could easily slice through an opened parachute or injure a spectator on the ground.

Therefore, board control was a real concern. Donley explained, “The handles were custom fabricated by Wayne Handy, an American Eagle style fifth-dan, and bolted directly to the boards. Safety was our primary concern. Once I broke the boards, the holders’ hands were no longer free to deploy their parachutes. They handed one-half of their board to a receiver, and everyone clipped their board’s handle to a carabineer which secured them. “Skydiving with a board is like flying with a wing, the slightest change in angle can propel you across the sky. I receive credit for breaking the boards, but it took a highly skilled team to make it possible.” Crandall agreed, adding, “Just like it took a team to make the world record successful, it takes a community of involved individuals to educate our children about dangers they face. We discussed this frequently while planning the event. Leaders receive recognition, but it is the team that surrounds them who make the difference. The grassroots efforts of families, educators, and community volunteers can prepare children with the information, self-confidence, and physical skills that will keep them safe.” I asked Grandmaster Crandall what question he gets asked most frequently during his child safety seminars. “Many parents are concerned their child will be picked up off the ground from behind and overpowered. This technique is challenging to teach. The attacker must drop the child for her to escape; therefore, time must be taken to make the child feel safe about falling to the floor. Safety for the practice partner also becomes a concern. The technique’s success is based on the response time of the child. Once grabbed, the child

It’s important children learn to defend themselves.

taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

should immediately strike backward with her heels, attempting to impact the attacker’s knees, upper thighs, or groin. These strikes should be done repeatedly, alternating between the left and right heels, until the child is dropped. Simultaneously, the child should strike backward with her head, attempting to impact the attacker’s face. Once dropped, the child must get up immediately and run for help. When picked up, most children become rigid with fear and confusion. This state of vulnerability can be overcome by practice with this situation.” Donley reinforced his instructor’s advice. “Child abduction is preventable. It requires that we continue to teach children self-defense and self-conﬁdence. It is my hope that more people will dedicate themselves to this cause. Together, we can help make our children safer, in a constantly changing world.”

For more information regarding Travis Donley and Grandmaster Crandall visit www.amai-eaglestyle. com. Also check with the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, your local schools, police, and ﬁre departments for additional resources and ways you can help.

To view a video of the amazing break, visit www.taekwondotimes.com ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Eric Stalloch is sixth-degree in American Eagle style and Chief Instructor of the American Martial Arts Institute. He is also a Certified Canemaster in the American Cane System and a permanently certified high school teacher in New York State. He cofounded SecureLivingOnline. com, coauthored one book, and coproduced two instructional DVDs with his instructor, Grandmaster Crandall. He is the proprietor of a full-time training location in Central New York where he teaches several nights each week.

When I was around four or five years of age, an older girl picked me up and threw me in the deep end of a swimming pool. For a few seconds I could feel myself drowning. But eventually the girl came in after me and retrieved me from the pool. I don’t think that Edie (the girl) maliciously meant to harm me. I think that she thought she was teaching me how to swim…the hard way. Ironically, Edie went on to become a lifeguard. And I went on to become someone who would forever be terrified of the deep end of a swimming pool! I often get asked about how martial arts can actually cause someone to become a more confident person. I mean, at what point in your training do you go from no confidence to confident? In answering that, I can only revert back to my own experiences when coming up the ranks, and think of my own instructor who consistently pushed me when I didn’t think that I could do something. It could very well be trying to conquer the back-wheel kick, the flying side kick and the 360 axe kick that could have molded me into the rather confident woman that I am today. I have discovered as a student myself, and as an instructor, that when someone pushes you to keep trying, and you see the results; you eventually learn to push yourself…a little harder…a little further, until you have accomplished that which you set out to do. In my opinion, that is what confidence is; being able to push yourself, against all odds, to become successful in life’s challenges. When you think about it, there are so many reasons on a daily basis not to feel confident. Take, for instance, people who don’t return emails and phone calls. It makes

you mad, because it shakes your confidence. We think that perhaps they think we are not worthy of them getting back to us. In reality, perhaps they are just busy. But there goes another little piece of your confidence. And how about “no”? How often do we not even try because we are afraid of hearing the word no? I can honestly say that I’ve heard that word many times in my life, and I am still standing. Even though simply hearing the word no feels like another piece of our confidence is ripped right out of us, no true martial artist should ever fear “the no.” Many of us who have trained, strained and pushed ourselves through physical and emotional obstacles know that “no” simply means that we haven’t yet found the right door. But there is an opening, and we will find it if we can just push a little harder and go a little further. One great, wise warrior said, “You never know how strong you are until you have no choice.” As a martial arts writer and speaker, I am always shocked at the strength I see in other martial artists who have had “no choice,” but have yet come through the other side a true champion. And then there was me, a young woman who had paid for numerous swimming lessons over and over, yet still could not swim in the deep end of the pool. One day, while standing poolside, I watched as little children jumped in and out of the pool as if there wasn’t a care in the world. I then had a serious talk with myself. “Karen, you are an accomplished woman, and you’ve overcome much harder things than this. You’ve had swimming lessons, and all the training you need…the barrier is in your mind.” And with that, I went to the edge of this ten-foot deep pool, and I jumped in. I’m sitting here writing this, so you know that I’m okay. Honestly, I stepped out of that pool smiling like I had just won Michael Phelps’ eight gold medals! I’ve never jumped in the deep end of a pool since, but I’ve got the confidence to do it again if I had to. And that’s all that matters.

Woman of the Times By Karen Eden

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Karen Eden is a fifth-degree black belt and master in the art of Tang Soo Do. She is also a published author, former radio personality and TV journalist, who has appeared on CNN, FOX National, and Animal Planet. She has also appeared in two major Hollywood productions. Karen has written for and appeared in many martial arts publications over the years. Her books include The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Tae Kwon Do (Penguin Books) and I Am a Martial Artist (Century Martial Arts). She is also the poet behind the popular I Am a Martial Artist product line, also available through Century Martial Arts, and Dojo Darling martial arts wear, available through Karatedepot.com. Master Eden currently teaches atrisk youth through the Salvation Army in Denver, Colorado. For contact or booking information, email her at sabomnim@toast.net.

taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

4+$´S )NFLUENCE ON --! t n u o c c A d n a h A First By Tom Callos

In the minds of many, TKD and MMA are like apples and oranges. But the truth is that TKD has had a significant influence on the sport. In fact, one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, BJ Penn, The Prodigy, has a direct connection with two of Tae Kwon Do’s most respected modern masters, Jhoon Rhee and Ernie Reyes, Sr. I know this to be true as I started the career of the Hawaiian fighter and I personally trained under Grandmasters Jhoon Rhee and Ernie Reyes, Sr. It has been well-documented in BJ’s biography, Why I Fight: The Belt is Just an Accessory, that my own TKD fifth-dan black belt test under Master Reyes was the spark that lit BJ’s now historic career. It was about 17 years ago that I began preparing for my fifth-degree. I had been Master Reyes’ student since 1980, when I moved to San Jose, California, already a first-degree black belt in TKD. I had moved specifically to train under the head of the newly formed “West Coast Demo Team.” In 1980, when I joined Master Reyes’ team, seven of the top ten forms competitors in the U.S. were students at his Campbell school, located in the San Jose suburb of Campbell, California. There were also a number of top TKD competitors at the Campbell school, including future Olympian Diane Murray (a silver medalist at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics). Master Reyes, himself, was a national and world champion Tae Kwon Do player, having won a bronze medal at the 1978 World Games held in Chicago. In 1994, Master Reyes told my classmates and me, who represented his highest ranking students at the time (there were approximately 13 of us that were fourth-degrees), that we were to begin preparing for our fifth-dans. I had just moved to the island of Hawaii from Reno, Nevada, where I had been running two Ernie Reyes West Coast Taekwondo schools for more than a decade. I didn’t have anyone to train with on the big island, which would not have normally been a concern for me, except 64 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

that Master Reyes had started taking Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) lessons under Ralph and Cesar Gracie, and informed us that we would be grappling as a part of the test. “So, get ready,” I remember him saying. Before leaving for Hawaii, I had started taking BJJ lessons with my good friend Dave Kovar of Sacramento. Ralph and Cesar Gracie were, at the time, two of the only BJJ teachers in Northern California, and they were driving to Dave’s school from the Bay Area to teach once or twice a week. I had a total of about ten hours of BJJ under my belt when I moved to Kona, Hawaii. Unfortunately, there was only one other person doing BJJ on the entire island, which had a population of about 150,000 people, and he was only a newly awarded blue belt. He also lived in and worked as a police officer in a very remote part of the island. Nevertheless, as he was as eager to have a training partner as I was, he would travel into Kona once a week to train with me, which was a three-hour round trip drive. Our training was, I now recognize, really rough and void of much refined technique. Of course, at the time, not knowing any better, I thought that neck cranks, sore elbows, abrasions, ripped t-shirts, and blood were just regular parts of BJJ practice. I was no stranger to hard-core training, as I was already a TKD and open Karate tournament veteran, having won my state’s championships a number of times and gone on to fight in two national championships (Dayton in 1986 and Los Angeles in 1987). A year after we started, I moved to a part of the island even farther from my blue belt friend, and so our practice together came to an end. It was in the quest for new training partners in a new town, Hilo. That is how BJ Penn and I met. It was my future wife, Kathleen, who first crossed paths with the Penn family. I was in California training with Master Reyes for a month and Kathleen was in charge of finding a new home for us to share in Hilo. It so happened that the home she rented, an old

Tom Callos & BJ Penn (center) with the Penn Family

plantation managerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house in the area of Hilo known as Wainaku, was owned by BJ Pennâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parents, JD Penn and Lorraine Shin. Kathleen had already rented the house the day I arrived back to the island and began moving our things in. But before I moved the first box out of the truck, I did what any selfrespecting black belt in-training would do, I hand-made a flier announcing I was looking for Judoka or wrestlers as training partners and found a couple of local gyms to post them in. When I returned to the house, I opened the box with our telephone in it and plugged it in. Not 30 seconds later and much to our surprise, as we hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t yet given the phone number out, it rang. Even stranger was that I recognized the voice of the caller, despite the fact I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know a single person in Hilo, but he was calling about the flier I had posted just minutes before. The caller was my new landlord, JD Penn, and I recognized his voice as I had spoken to him once before from California. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My boys are interested in your Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes,â&#x20AC;? I recall

) THOUGHT THAT NECK CRANKS SORE ELBOWS ABRASIONS RIPPED T SHIRTS AND BLOOD WERE JUST REGULAR PARTS OF "** PRACTICE

taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

life philosophy of these two revolutionary master teachers deeply influenced my approach to martial arts training—and I, in turn, introduced BJ to a kind of training attitude that was as progressive, open-minded and intense as that of my own teachers. Being at Master Reyes’ school in the 1980s was much like it is being at BJ Penn’s Academy, located in Hilo, Hawaii, today. The Campbell school was a beehive of martial arts activity. BJ Penn (left) and Tom Callos (far right) in 2008 On any given day of the week any number of the best TKD, forms, fighting, and weapons competitors in the nation would him saying. I had to explain that I wasn’t be on the floor of the 1500 square-foot school, teaching a class, but that I was looking for kicking, spinning, and sweating. The Penn some experienced grapplers, as I was hard at Academy in Hilo sports the same energy, as its work preparing for my upcoming test, then mats host some of the fiercest and most serious a year away. He said his boys didn’t have any grappling, boxing, and MMA competitors from experience, but they were eager to learn, and around the world, who come to train with, or in being that I wanted to hit the ground running close proximity to, The Prodigy. in my new home, I told JD the boys could meet I had told Grandmaster Rhee about BJ me at a local gym and I’d see if they could hang Penn on a number of occasions, but as I don’t with the intensity of my workouts. believe he closely follows the sport, he didn’t It was at this point that TKD became an really “get” the magnitude of BJ’s talent and influence in BJ Penn’s career, as without Master accomplishments. However, when BJ fought Reyes’ quest to improve himself as a martial Diego Sanchez in November of 2009, I received artist, I might not have started studying a new a phone call from Grandmaster Rhee. He was art, and if I hadn’t started grappling, BJ Penn in Korea and was suffering a bit of insomnia, wouldn’t have either. There wasn’t another BJJ which had caused him to turn on the TV where practitioner in all of Hilo, although today it’s a he was staying. It was then he actually saw BJ Mecca for BJJ training. fight (a spectacular victory) and called me to I don’t think that BJ Penn recognizes that ask if this was my student I had been telling he is a direct descendant of the teachings of him about. He was excited by BJ’s obvious skill Ernie Reyes, Sr., and Jhoon Rhee, but the and by the fact that BJ had thrown a head kick truth is that both men taught me many things that eventually ended the match. that I, in turn, passed on to BJ. Specifically, “Did you teach BJ Penn to kick like that?” the work ethic of champion-level training was he asked. As much as I wanted to take credit something BJ was exposed to from our first for BJ’s skills, I had to confess that BJ was day together. It was the kind of approach to already an exceptional talent, a “prodigy,” when training that Grandmaster Rhee had used to I first met him at the age of 17. I told him I revolutionize TKD in America. It was the same had, indeed, worked on kicks with him back in work ethic that launched the famed career of the day, but that BJ’s skills had surpassed my Master Ernie Reyes and that he used to train own many years before. “Well, I’m honored to us for both competition and as members of have any connection to such a fine champion,” his demonstration team. The training and Grandmaster Rhee said. 66 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

This last year BJ told me that he was happy to have two old-school martial artists in his camp (he was referring to me and his coach Rudy Valentino), as the younger fighters around the camp didn’t always practice the kind of disciplined behavior or have the attitude of oldschool martial artists. Well, in my case, I owe what I know about living as a martial artist to two Tae Kwon Do masters who taught me how to pursue mastery and how to “be” a teacher. In turn, BJ’s career and his respect for traditional arts are due, at least in part, to the influence of these gentlemen. When BJ Penn steps onto the mat or into the ring, a little bit of my life goes in there with him, and wherever I am, my teachers are there with me, too. Not a single day goes by when both Grandmaster Rhee and Grandmaster Reyes aren’t speaking to me in my head and shaping my behavior, goals, and sense of mission. In the story of BJ Penn, TKD played a role in the development of a new breed of fighter-athlete. His story is, I would guess, similar to many MMA athletes, men and women who love the martial arts and

competition just as much as my teachers and I love it. In this way, the spirit of Tae Kwon Do lives on. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tom Callos is now a sixth-dan under Master Ernie Reyes, Sr., and a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under BJ Penn. He is the designer and team coach for The Ultimate Black Belt Test (www. ultimateblackbelttest.com) and the head of “the one hundred” (www. thenewwaynetwork. com) a think-tank for martial arts business, curriculum, and marketing. Tom is Executive Director of the Penn Hawaii Youth Foundation, a nonprofit helping local at-risk youth in Hawaii. He resides in Hilo, Hawaii and his e-mail is tomcallos@gmail.com.

Korean Mantis Fist Kung Fu International Association

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MMA & You

By Dr. Jerry Beasley

I]Z 8a^cX] 7dm^c\ [dg BB6 Most MMA historians will agree that the first few Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) were designed to demonstrate the advantages that grapplers had over strikers once the fight is taken to the ground. Jiu Jitsu experts of the 90s often argued that 98 percent of all street fights end up on the ground. This statistic is highly fictionalized. Police statistics noted that officers had just as many ground encounters as stand up encounters. It is true however, that 98 percent of all fights begin in stand up and only go to the ground when the fighters cannot conclude the confrontation while standing. A good idea for stand up fighters would be to investigate ways to avoid being taken to the ground. Arts like Tang Soo Do, TKD and Hapkido are typically characterized as stand up arts (the fight takes place while both fighters are standing). Unfortunately, when TKD/TSD/HKD fighters entered UFC events they were quickly taken to the ground where most were not prepared to fight. Perhaps the most important lesson to be learned from MMA events is that combat, in the cage or in the street, is likely not to be well controlled like the combat training presented in most traditional martial arts dojangs. While grapplers had a distinct advantage in early MMA fights, competitors trained in boxing quickly learned the sprawl (a technique in which the feet are spread and the weight pushed forward so as to stop the grappler from completing a double leg takedown). Stand up fighters also became proficient in fighting in the clinch. The clinch position takes place when both fighters are standing toe-to-toe while holding each other in close. Holding the opponent’s arms allows a fighter to temporarily stop the opponent from striking. A fighter may also improve accuracy as short range strikes (fist and elbow) and knees are delivered. Boxing originated as a form of martial art designed primarily for self-defense in a closed off area. A less sophisticated form of bare knuckle fighting can be traced back several thousands of years before the birth of Christ. Some historians believe that the Greek term for making a box with the hands (pyxis), a clenched fist, is the basis for the modern word boxing. Another source contends that a 13th century Catholic priest, St. Bernadine, taught fist fighting as an alternative to dueling and used the term “boxing up” in reference to the skill of blocking the opponent’s punches or offense. The first recorded bare knuckle fight in the United States took place in New York in 1816 (Hyer versus Beasly). Though illegal and unpopular, bare knuckle fighting gained some notoriety in the late 1880s, when the great John L. Sullivan traveled the country challenging all comers for a purse of two hundred dollars. Rules incorporating three-minute rounds, padded gloves, and no wrestling or gouging were sponsored by the Marquis of Queensbury in England in 1865. Eventually, these rules were accepted, and anything-goes style bare knuckle fighting found no mass support for more than 100 years.

Only after the introduction of the UFC in 1993 did boxing become rediscovered as a viable martial art. Interestingly enough, many Korean martial arts schools have been teaching the boxing style jab, cross and hook as part of their training methods for many years. As a student, I was taught boxing skills alongside TKD as far back as 1968. While we also incorporated boxing style footwork, the part we missed is the boxer’s clinch. While in the clinch the boxer has the best opportunity to evade the grappler’s takedown attempts. In actual combat fighting, the boxer (including Thai boxing) has several tools proven to be effective. Of course, the primary skills of the jab, hook, upper-cut, and cross are essential. However, the boxer’s ability to fight from the clinch—in which two fighters are fully entangled in an upright position—is just now receiving adequate attention. The reason is simple. During MMA events, the combatants almost invariably go to the clinch. Fighters with skill in the clinch stay upright. Others go to the ground or mat. In the clinch position, where fighters hold and hit (often out of exhaustion or desperation), skilled boxers understand that they can conserve energy, avoid taking any hard blows, and maneuver for better target access. Whenever boxers get in trouble, they’re told to go to the clinch position. Often when a fighter is outmatched and cannot strike an opponent at boxing range, he or she goes immediately to the clinch to avoid absorbing any unnecessary punishment and to survive the fight. Boxers have long been successful in winning in the clinch. In recent UFC matches, former world champion Randy Couture has been most successful using the clinch position. The MMA term often used to describe the boxer’s clinch is “dirty fighting.” In a typical sport, boxing match fighters are not allowed to hold and hit, use elbows and knees. Use of such illegal techniques is considered “dirty.” In an MMA event, fighters are allowed to use the knee, elbow and to hit while holding the opponent. Hence, the term “dirty boxing.” Next time, I’ll continue a discussion about fighting from the boxer’s clinch and how martial artists can learn from experience in MMA.

Dr. Jerry Beasley is the Professor of Exercise, Sport and Health at Radford University and author of the new book, Dojo Dynamics: Essential Marketing Principles for Martial Arts Schools. From June 24-27, he will present the 23rd annual Karate College MMA Training Camp with Renzo Gracie, Matt Serra, Bill Wallace and many more. For more information please visit www.thekaratecollege.com.

68 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

Attention All Martial Arts School Owners

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Bully Prevention for Adults Setting Your Personal Boundaries By Norman McLinden Bullies in life will never go away. They are still out there and are a daily threat. We educate our children on how to deal with bullies, but as an adult how should you respond when confronted by a bully? “I won’t be wronged. I won’t be insulted. I won’t be laid a hand on. I don’t do these things to other people and I require the same from them.” ~John Wayne~ from the movie, The Shootist This quote from The Duke pretty much sums up how we should deal with bullies in our adult world. There are no hall monitors in life, and we have to set our own boundaries when dealing with overly aggressive and hurtful behavior. As a matter of fact, that is the dictionary definition of a bully: A person who is habitually cruel or overbearing. A person of an intimidating manner, who is threatening to smaller or weaker people. We see bullies wherever we go in daily routines. The rules are for everyone but them and you are an inconvenience. One sure indicator of an adult bully is bad, discourteous manners.

Rude Behavior “Rudeness is the weak man’s imitation of strength.” ~Eric Hoffer~ American philosopher Bullies with poor behavior show up in the most normal of places: gas stations, the mall, and even in grocery lines. I learned a valuable lesson from an elderly lady in the supermarket one night. I shop like a guy. I grab the few things I need and head for the express lane. On this particular evening, a large young man had beat me to the express lane. He was a good-sized guy and could have been a linebacker on the local football team. I was shocked that he had a carriage full of groceries that well exceeded the 12 item limit. Note: there is a big sign at the register that says 12 Items or Less. Right behind him emerged my mentor, the proverbial little old lady. She had only a few items to checkout and was angry that this “linebacker” had taken his place in the express lane. Without hesitation she tapped him on the shoulder and 70 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

12 Items or Less explained, l i d “Y “Young man, this hi is i the h express lane. l You Y should be in the other aisle.” His face reddened with a flash of anger. Uh-oh I thought, tomorrow’s headline is going to read, “Linebacker, Little Old Lady and Martial Artist Arrested at Supermarket for Brawling and Disturbing the Peace.” To my surprise, the linebacker, though visibly angry, spun his cart around and headed for the regular checkout. He was caught in the act of doing something wrong. His incorrect behavior was

pointed out to him (in an almost non-confronting way.) His only alternative was to make a total fool of himself, or correct the behavior. He wisely chose the latter. Thank you Ma’am, you showed me how to handle rudeness. It just goes to show, whoever one is, they are always wrong if they are rude. A face-to-face confrontation is one thing. However, sometimes we can be in some very impersonal situations and aggressive behavior can get out of control. In particular, this can happen, when you are in the midst of a traffic altercation.

Road Rage “There are people in this world who go about demanding to be killed. You must have noticed them. They jump out of their automobiles in a rage. They humiliate and bully people whose capabilities they do not know. These are people who wander through the world shouting, ‘Kill me.’ And there’s always someone ready to oblige to them.” ~Don Vito Corleone~ The Godfather One of the clearest acts of bullying is road rage. People in automobiles are so impersonal it is easy to get caught up in this belligerent and dangerous process. There are many tragedies resulting from road rage incidents. Some border on the unbelievable. On February 20, 1994, in Massachusetts, two men became embroiled in a heated, ongoing traffic dispute. After the motorists antagonized

each other for several miles, they both pulled over to an access road and got out of their vehicles. At that point one driver retrieved a powerful crossbow from his trunk and murdered the other driver with a razorsharp 20-inch arrow. Before we go shaking our heads about this wild incident, ask yourself, how often have you been tempted to get into one these confrontations? Here are some simple pointers for road rage. v Do not trade obscene gestures with a belligerent driver. (In Boston, we call this the one-fingered traffic signal.) v Use a courtesy wave. Gesture sorry even if it is not your fault. v Do not get out of your car. v Use your cell phone to call 911 if you think the incident is escalating. v Continue to move through traffic and avoid/escape the belligerent driver.

Avoid the situation

Defend yourself

Conversely, you may be run off the road or trapped. You are a martial artist in and out of your car. If there is no other alternative, you defend yourself with your hard learned skills. Recently, we did this type of training in my school parking lot and simulated some typical attacks that could occur with an automobile. This is a fun training to do, and it makes you think

A road raged bully can quickly have a change of heart when they hit the asphalt, hard! taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

how to handle one of these worse case scenarios. A road raged bully can quickly have a change of heart when they hit the asphalt, hard! Just be aware of legal ramifications. Whether you are right or wrong, this is a no win situation. A situation we cannot just walk away from is when we are earning our daily bread. It is when we are at work.

The Workplace Bully “Workplace bullying consists of the least competent, most aggressive employee projecting their incompetence onto the least aggressive, most competent employee and winning.” ~Tim Field~ Workplace bullying expert During these dismal economic times a new bully has surfaced, the workplace bully. I am not talking about kidding or practical jokes from coworkers. I am talking about the intimidating manager who holds legitimate power in the workplace. It can even be your own boss. Here are some signs of workplace boss bullying:

v Are you being publicly criticized for your work

performance or ideas? v Are resources you need to do your job controlled

by someone who seems determined to see you fail? v Are there unusual changes in workload (way too much or none at all)? v Are you an excellent worker who’s always gotten great performance reviews but suddenly nothing you do is right? We have to be realistic. You cannot just leave your job because of a pathetic workplace tyrant. If you have to deal with this type of individual, document all bullying incidents. Educate yourself in what is considered harassing behavior at work and what constitutes creating a hostile work environment. Also keep your self-confidence and realize you are not alone. Bullies have a tendency to make more enemies then friends. Like the bully in the schoolyard, this sordid behavior will catch up with them. Unfortunately, when you work for these characters it only seems like forever. There are also plenty of successful people who drew their line in the sand, made a choice, and have left for a better job. It may be the best career decision of your life. “Promote a friendly relationship amongst all people.” ~Basic Tenet of Tae Kwon Do~ As practicing martial artists, we can set a high standard of personal behavior for our students and ourselves. We can stand up to rude behavior like the little old lady in the supermarket. We can keep our heads about us and avoid a road rage incident. We can set our personal boundaries and

You cannot just leave your job because of a pathetic workplace tyrant. 72 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

not tolerate abusive behavior in the workplace. If I can quote John Wayne one more time, “I don’t do these things to other people and I require the same.” As adults let us establish our personal boundaries of acceptable conduct, and live by those principles. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Master Norman Mclinden is a seventhdan black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He holds a fifth-degree black belt in the Joe Lewis Fighting System. He is currently developing his own bully prevention program: “Get R.I.D. of Bullies!” McLinden is the owner and Master Instructor of NorthEastern Tae Kwon Do Academy, located in Bellingham, Massachusetts. He can be reached at nmclinden@msn.com. The author explains how to counter a front choke with a vertical punch.

To counter a bear hug, explode arms in upward motion.

General Choi Hong-Hi had hoped that Tae Kwon Do would help reunite his beloved homeland of Korea. He even named the final Tae Kwon Do Tul (form) “Tong-il,” which is the Korean word for unification. But we also know that the reunification of Korea has to involve the USA out of political necessity. So it seemed natural that sending a TKD team from North Korea to the USA could possibly help to open the necessary doors of diplomacy between the nations and to build a more peaceful world. After all, ping pong had done the same for the USA and China in the 1970s. As Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim of San Francisco would say, “He can do. She can do. Why not me?” Why not us? Sadly, General Choi passed away in 2002 without realizing this goal of an exchange. Grandmaster Woojin Jung had been trying to help Gen. Choi since 1992, being an American citizen and believing that TKD diplomacy could work. And he now carried the torch. We had been in communication since 2005 and I was happy to assist in any way I could. So in May of 2006, I again traveled to North Korea for an effort led by GM Jung to jumpstart the wish that began 17 years ago. This tour was called the Goodwill Peace Mission and happened during a time of heightened political tensions between North Korea and the USA. Again, the intent was for the North Korean team to travel to the USA later the same year, October to be precise. GM Jung was a simple farm boy that grew up in a very poor Korea further torn apart by a devastating civil war. As a South Korean soldier he saw more action when assigned to the war in Vietnam, where he was injured. He was able to immigrate to the USA in 1971 with only $35 and the sheer will of determination forged by his Moo Duk Kwan Tae Kwon Do training. This indomitable spirit and his ever humble attitude led him to becoming a highly successful American businessman. GM Jung, not forgetting his meager roots, is a charitable person. He had invested more than just his time and hard work as he tried to make this cultural exchange happen. While we were in North Korea in May of 2006 celebrating the anniversary of the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF), which ironically was formed in South Korea 40 years earlier, we met with the Korean Tae Kwon Do Committee. These members agreed to provide the Chosun National TKD team and secure their government’s approv-

I Shall Build a More Peaceful World Part II By Master George Vitale, 8th Dan

74 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

al to tour the USA. We also enjoyed sightseeing and interaction with the North Korean hosts. These opportunities allowed us, through the common shared activity of Tae Kwon Do, to overcome some hesitation that strangers often have. This hesitation, however, was further complicated by the fact that our countries do not have good relations. In fact, they are still in a technical state of war. Tae Kwon Do took care of that while we were there. Everywhere we went, we carried wooden boards that had the outline of Korea drawn on them, with the middle having a solid line indicating the division of Korea at the 38th Parallel. The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is the most heavily fortified border in the world with soldiers from both sides of a divided homeland vigilantly stationed and in a perpetual state of staring each other down. Despite the usual tensions, we were able to share many relaxing Tae Kwon Do moments. The North Korean soldiers warmed up to us; while in our doboks, as we broke through the symbolic wooden boards shouting, “TONG-IL!” As we talked with them, they warmed even more. Finally, GM Jung started to hand out doboks to them along with honorary ITF black belt certificates. However, as many of you readers know, the new uniforms come in packaged sets that include only a white belt. So I promptly took off my black belt and gave it to the leader of the soldiers that accompanied us. I asked GM Jung to explain that I wanted him to have my black belt so it would complete the dobok package and certificate, fully honoring him despite our two countries’ animosity towards each other. This officer, with the benefit of GM Jung’s translation, quickly realized the significance of my gesture. It resulted in one of the best hand shakes I have ever received, along with a very sincere facial expression of gratitude, as I, aided by Tae Kwon Do, took the time to dispel a misnomer about Americans. This kind of scene repeated itself wherever we went. At the famed Tae Kwon Do Palace that North Korea built for the ITF and Gen. Choi in 1992, the Chosun National TKD Team performed before a packed house which included local citizens and some foreign visitors. When they finished, the USA Tae Kwon Do students on the Goodwill Peace Mission, including myself, took to the floor for a brief demonstration. While on the stage we again broke those boards with the divided Korea drawings on them while shouting, “TONG-IL!” I broke mine with a bow wrist, a technique that only appears in the Tong-il Tul, the final pattern. The audience cheered and repeated our chants of “Tong-il” as well, as it is truly the wish of most Koreans to have their homeland reunited. GM Jung was even able to get the reluctant female announcer, who was dressed in a traditional Korean hanbok (dress), out on the stage. Though embarrassed, she also broke the symbolic board with a big grin, while we all shouted “Tong-il” in unison! A final visit that made a huge impact on me was the Children’s Palace. While there, children of all ages treated us to a show or music, dance and singing. But of course, the stop here would not have been complete without Tae Kwon Do. Here, the children performed flawlessly and in total synchronization. A friend that accompanied me named Laura, a non-TKD practitioner, was amazed at their performances. However, she added that they must give up a lot of their childhood to work at such a high level of proficiency and to perform in such a way. While that may be true, it is clear that only true dedication can produce such results no matter who you are or where you’re from. After their performance I handed out candy brought from the USA, much like the U.S. soldiers did during the Korean War. Leaving them with a sweet bit of America by an American Taekwon-Do master hopefully will help the younger generation realize that we want to extend a peaceful hand. When we returned to the USA we had the information needed to start the cumbersome visa process to get the North Korean team to the United States. North Korea and the USA has never had a cultural exchange on the level that we were proposing, so we had our work cut out for us! As every necessary detail was being ironed out, the date for the proposed Tae Kwon Do Goodwill Tour approached rapidly. Then, days before the start date of the Goodwill Tour, North Korea tested a nuclear weapon. The action resulted in the visa process not being completed. After months of hard work and preparations, the North Korea/USA TKD Goodwill Tour was foiled. With angry governments and our countries’ relations at an all-time low, would a goodwill tour ever be realized? ...to be continued.

Follow us on Facebook.com/LUVfilms & please visit www.TONG-ILmovie.com to learn more. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: The author has been a student of Taekwon-Do for a period spanning five decades. His training has taken him to some 40 countries where he has used TKD to build friendships. You may contact George at TKD.Research@yahoo.com. taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

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Traditions

By Doug Cook

Tiger Tanaka, a central figure in Ian Fleming’s delightful James Bond saga, You Only Live Twice, was asked by Bond why he chose to become a career intelligence officer rather than pursue the eighth-dan red belt in Judo, forthcoming had he continued his practice. Tanaka replied: “To do so would have meant abandoning all other forms of activity. And with what object? To be promoted to the 12th and final Dan upon my death? In exchange for spending the whole of my life tumbling around the floor of the Kodokan Academy in Tokyo? No thank you. That is the ambition of a lunatic. No sake! No beautiful girls! Worse still, probably no opportunity in a whole lifetime to exercise my art in anger; to tackle a robber or murderer with a gun, and get the better of him. In the higher realms of Judo, you are nothing but a mixture between a monk and a ballet dancer. Not for me!” In other words, Tiger chose to utilize Kano’s Judo practically, in defense of justice, rather than to follow, tenaciously, the intended and ultimate course of the gentle way—understandable, given Tanaka’s predilection for adventure. Still, his reply struck a chord in me. Doubtless, as novices in Tae Kwon Do, we consider an instance when rightfully and with justification, we will be afforded the opportunity to vanquish a surly opponent. I recall years ago as an orange belt, walking to work down 8th Avenue near Times Square in New York City sporting a knife hand! This was a technique I had just learned and I was certain it would be just the right tool to come to the aid of my defense and those less fortunate than me should the anticipated need arise. Was I wrong to feel this way? Well maybe. But with the proviso that the fire of enthusiasm I felt during that period in my training was intoxicating! As one matures in the martial arts, obvious transformations occur just as they do during the maturation process between adolescence and old age. This is the way of change as prescribed by the ancient Taoist classic, the I Ching (Juyeok in Korean). Nothing in nature remains the same; all things animate and inanimate are in a constant state of flux. And to resist these waves of change will result in a distortion of the natural order. On a personal level, mental anxiety and even illness may ensue. Other manifestations may be disaffection with vocation or relationships. On the global stage, wars can erupt, nation-states can disintegrate, or religion and businesses can suffer a disconnect with the masses. The term “go with the flow”

76 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

clearly holds more meaning than meets the eye. Likewise, the evolution of the martial arts within the individual is a personal journey; it is a life’s work. It is a road with no end, a sea with no horizon. And the notion is thrilling provided acceptance of this concept is not stymied by resistance. I recall a conversation at different times with two illustrious grandmasters, both of whom had authored landmark books on their chosen disciplines over twenty years ago. Asked why techniques illustrated in these works differed somewhat from what they were currently teaching, their mutual replies were the same: “Of course there are alterations in technique. Do you think I have learned nothing in twenty years?!” The progression is one familiar to each of us, particularly we who have, by choice, made a practice of the martial arts a profession. We begin as white belts with a strong desire to decisively defend ourselves on the street or to triumph in the ring. Slowly, over time, we acclimate to the doctrine that it is our moral obligation not to apply these potentially brutal skills, so often governed by an implied code of honor, against other living things. Eventually, at elevated levels, our practice begins to take on a metaphysical dimension where moving meditation and ki projection become vital components of our practice. Furthermore, just as in a marriage of many years, infatuation and unbridled wonder comfortably morph into a deep and enduring love for our art. Certainly there will be times of doubt and discouragement. This past July, 21 of my students and I traveled to South Korea for our fifth training and cultural tour. We trained every day for a week at the Kukkiwon, the Kumgang Taekwondo Center, Golgusa Temple, the World Taekwondo Instructor Academy and the Moo Duk Kwan/ Namchang Dojang with some of the most outstanding grandmasters in the world. Their students were similarly remarkable in technique providing demonstrations of skill that left us breathless. And then the mutual training would begin.

Many of us in the Chosun group were well into our 40s and 50s and mimicking these extraordinary, young practitioners was a significant challenge. But we did it without complaint or, except in one or two cases, injury. Witnessing a four-board aerial wood break or feeling the impact from across the room of a well-placed round kick to the chest during a particularly aggressive show of self-defense at the Moo Duk Kwan, could easily have resulted in any one of us thinking: “I’ll never be able to do that. Why am I wasting my time?” But no. Rather than questioning our abilities, we were deeply inspired and proud to be a part of this global Tae Kwon Do family. We assimilated these skills and returned to share them with our fellow practitioners here in America. Similarly, just as there are times of doubt, there will be moments of cathartic elation during our journey. Successful color belt and dan tests where our abilities are pushed to the extreme, competitions where the adrenaline-fueled high of subsequent victory is experienced, the sense of achievement when a new technique or poomsae is acquired, all easily compensate for any uncertainty that might color our training. I too have been tested as of late. Last winter I experienced a potentially life-threatening event that could

have permanently interrupted my training. But it did not, because I refused to allow it to. Has it slowed me down? Yes, somewhat. But even this is a temporary thing. As Grandmaster Richard Chun said recently following a moderate injury while we were in Korea, “You must carry on and demonstrate the Tae Kwon Do spirit!” Injury, discouragement, complacency: all worthy opponents on this life’s work we call Tae Kwon Do. And then, as an ally to these specters in their quest for hindrance, the question remains regarding the true value of practice, over decades, given that the practicalities of what we learn will never be used in anger. Fortunately, there have been only three instances in my life where I have had to rely on my martial arts training and, thankfully, only one that blossomed in physical violence. Even that was too much. So here I am, nearing sixty years of age, still going strong albeit with some ailments, with little thought, aside from their transmission, given to the practical, real world use of Tae Kwon Do. Unlike Tiger Tanaka, I have instead, contentedly chosen the path of a monk and a ballet dancer.

Master Doug Cook, a ﬁfth-dan black belt, is head instructor of the Chosun Taekwondo Academy located in Warwick, New York, a senior student of Grandmaster Richard Chun, and author of the best-selling books entitled: Taekwondo…Ancient Wisdom for the Modern Warrior, and Traditional Taekwondo…Core Techniques, History and Philosophy, published by YMAA of Boston. His third book, Taekwondo–A Path to Excellence, focusing on the rewards and virtues of Tae Kwon Do, will be released in 2010. He can be reached for discussions or seminars at chosuntkd@yahoo.com or www.chosuntkd.com.

The Arsenal of Tae Sool Hap Ki Do By Troy Trudeau

Tae Sool Wonâ&#x201E;˘ is a systematic study of the traditional Korean fighting arts, which together combine the artsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; history of the Korean nation. As such, Tae Sool Won is an extremely organized system of martial arts which seeks to integrate and explore all aspects of the traditional Korean martial arts. As a martial arts system, Tae Sool Won covers the entire spectrum of the traditional Asian arts and techniques of body conditioning, as well as mental development and traditional weaponry. Hand Striking Closed hand strikes Open hand strikes Palm strikes Wrist strikes Finger strikes Blocking and parrying Animal techniques Pressure point strikes Arm and shoulder strikes Specialized palm training Leg Techniques Foundation kicks Front leg kicks Spinning kicks Jumping kicks Combination kicks Jump spinning kicks Double leg kicks Kicking defense Pressure point kicks Specialty kicks Throwing and Grappling Body throws Projection throws Wrestling techniques Leg throws Ground fighting Pressure point grappling Grappling defense Joint Locking Techniques Pain throws Arresting techniques Come along techniques Restraining methods Joint breaking techniques Control and re-direction techniques Combination joint locking techniques 78 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

Body Conditioning Stretching and flexibility training Cardiovascular conditioning Muscle training Joint flexibility Bone conditioning

There are 24 traditional Korean Royal Court weapons in the curriculum of Tae Sool Won, plus Buddhist and family weaponry. Traditional Korean weapons were derived from farming tools, thus some modifications have been made for today’s world. The weapons used in Tae Sool Hap Ki Do are basic and traditional and there are even forms (Hyungs) for some of these weapons, used as a tool for perfecting self-defense techniques. Some of the Tae Sool Hap Ki Do weapons are demonstrated here, including the Bu Chae (Fan), Dan Bong (Short Stick) and Ji Pang Ee (Cane).

Animal Style Techniques Techniques based on the movements and characteristics of certain “martial” animals such as the Tiger, Praying Mantis, Crane, Dragon, Bear, and more.

Martial Art Healing Methods Acupressure Acupuncture Internal energy systems Herbal medicine

Traditional Korean Weapons Straight sword Inverted sword Double sword Double short sword Pole Jewel bong Nunchaku Short stick Double short stick Spear Cane Belt Folding fan

As you can see, Tae Sool Won covers an extensive variety of techniques. The system is not merely concerned with the physical methods of attack and defense, but incorporates the study of healing techniques, the development of internal power, and physical conditioning into a comprehensive art. Tae Sool Won also helps to instill self-conﬁdence, self-discipline, a calm selfassurance and psychological and spiritual values. Well being is of primary importance in Tae Sool Hap Ki Do. Although Tae Sool Hap Ki Do as it is practiced today is relatively new, its roots stretch far and deep to the beginnings of the history of the Korean people. As students of Tae Sool, this early history and its traditions upon which the art is founded should be as important as the physical techniques themselves. For it’s only from understanding and appreciating these classical roots, that we grow as students and as martial artists.

Falling Techniques and Acrobatics Body protection techniques Throwing defense Acrobatics for body conditioning and agility Acrobatics for defense and offense

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Grandmaster Troy Trudeau has been training for 40 years and is the Founder/President of The World Tae Sool Association. He is certified by Grandmaster Rudy Timmerman, NKMAA President; Grandmaster In Sun Seo, WKF/Han Min Jok President; and O Sensei Phillip Porter, USMAA President. You can contact him by visiting www.taesoolwon.com or call (731) 707-2185.

taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

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;^\]i 7VX` 6\V^chi ;Vi 1) If the kajillions of diet books out there worked, why would anyone need to keep writing new ones? 2) As martial artists, we like competition, self-improvement and winning. 3) As people interested in survival, we do not like getting punched in the head in a street fight, or having dangerous weapons jammed into our arteries. If you agree with those three principles, then we have what we need to help you get in better shape. Step 1 - Don’t Go Too Big Most people who need to get in better shape set out with way too much project. They get some of those books, some new exercise equipment, a gym membership, take out a second mortgage to fund a new regimen of vitamins and supplements, and then stress out—which sends them running back to the same addictive eating habits they were trying to escape. You agreed with principle one, so we can move on to the next step. Step 2 - Go Buy a Scale How can you not like a plan with a step like that? In this case, you are going to buy a scale that uses an electrical impulse to calculate your percentage of body fat. No new treadmill, no elliptical trainer, and nothing that is ever advertised after 2 a.m. Just buy a good scale that gives you this vital starting number. You can usually find one for less than $50 retail. The rationale behind this measurement is that while body fat is a poor electrical conductor, lean muscle is a good conductor. Step 3 - Calculate Your Ideal Weight Once you get to the point where you are ready to train for the Olympics, or the World Games, then there are complicated scientific lab procedures to help you get optimally fit. To get you up to that point, the strategy is this: find your weight and body fat percentage from your scale. Let’s use an example, College Joe weighs 265 pounds, and has a body fat percentage of 38 percent. That means CJ is carrying 100.7 pounds of body fat (265 x .38). That also tells us that his lean body mass is 164.3 (total minus fat, in this case 265 minus 100.7). Now, if his body fat percentage were trimmed down into the healthy range of 12 percent, we could find his ideal weight by taking his lean mass and dividing it by .88. In this case, the answer would be 186.7 pounds (164.3/.88)—we can round it to 187. That is CJ’s ideal weight. Step 4 - Size Up Your Opponent You needed the scales for two reasons. The first is: we want you to know how big the guy/gal is who is kicking your butt every day. Maybe he is 70 pounds, maybe she is only 15 pounds. (Don’t kid yourself, real studies have shown repeatedly that being even 10 pounds overweight has a significant impact on your health, your happiness, and your lifespan.)

Your opponent weighs as much as your current weight minus your ideal weight. For CJ, that means 78 pounds. Step 5 - Defend Yourself The junk food, the fast food, the dark-side-of-the-force food is TRYING TO KILL YOU, and it is really, really good at it. If you are attacked on the street, and someone throws a punch at your head, do you need to know how many grams their fist weighs, its rate of acceleration, or the total pounds of pressure your head can withstand before you black out? No! All you need to know is that getting hit in the head/groin/kidney by a big fist is not good for you. The same thing applies here, when your excess body fat grabs a can of coke or a fast food McWhopper wrapped in bacon and tries to jam it into your heart, all you need to know is that it is bad for you and you should block it. Are you really going to let a 50-pound pipsqueak shove a deadly weapon into your arteries without even stepping out of the way? And don’t even start with the excuses like, “Well, a Big Artery Burger once in a while is ok,” or “I’ll get a diet cola with it, so it’s not really so bad.” Would you tell yourself, “Well, just standing still and giving someone a free, straight-on kick to my chest once in a while is ok, as long as it’s not a running jump kick to my chest?” The other reason you need the scales is to know if you are winning or not. The scales are like the match referee who will keep track of how many candy bars and french fries are getting past your defenses to score points on you. Remember, you agreed that you are a competitor, you like winning, and you do not like getting punched in the head. Let those things motivate you. If you are curious about the algebra behind the calculation for ideal body weight, or if you need a quick hand figuring out yours, e-mail me at: ri@wi.rr.com and put TKD Times in the subject line. Trust me; no one will know but us that you asked for help. As always, I look forward to hearing your experiences with a topic as well as your successes. Until next time remember: What you put into your body determines what you put into your punch.

Nutrition by the Numbers By Erik Richardson

Let us start with a couple of basic operating principles:

Erik Richardson is a Certified Sports Nutritionist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is currently the Director of Richardson Ideaworks, which provides small business marketing and communications consulting.

taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

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the force on a small area. A flashlight with enough illumination can momentarily stun a would-be attacker, while not physically harming them in any way. Shining the light directly into the eyes will temporarily blind an approaching person providing you with a chance to put some distance between you and that person. This is especially effective if the person’s eyes have already become accustomed to the darkness. A flashlight can go places other defensive tools cannot. I recently returned from a trip to Arkansas and I carried my flashlight on the plane. It went into the bucket with my keys, wallet and cell phone. After the metal detector check and x-ray, they handed it back to me and told me to enjoy my trip. Why? Because it is just a flashlight and a flashlight by itself is not a weapon. What makes a tactical flashlight a defensive weapon are training and mindset, which are things that can never be taken from you. Select your flashlight with the same care as any other defensive tool. You want good quality within your budget. Going cheap increases the chance it could fail you when you need it most, but it should also not break your bank.

NOTE: If you intend to use a tactical flashlight as an impact weapon, seek professional training in kubotan or a similar defensive tool. As a general rule, always seek professional training in any tool you elect to carry for defensive purposes.

Raising Awareness

Tactical flashlights are one of the most undervalued self-defense tools available to everyone. Each member of your family, from your tween daughter to your aged father, should consider carrying a tactical flashlight. In this issue we are going to explain what makes a flashlight truly tactical, the benefits to carrying one and options you want to look for when selecting your very own. The term “tactical” is a hot marketing moniker these days. It is attached to an array of items and often applied to justify an increase in price. Tactical was formerly associated with high-quality items designed for elite military and police teams, but it is now so overused it is almost meaningless. Often items are more “tacti-cool” rather than truly “tactical.” So why do you want to carry a flashlight? First, having your own light source is never a bad thing. Blackouts happen all of the time and you never know where you will be when an outage strikes. For example, in a garage, a subway, deep inside a building or a restaurant at night, having a good flashlight with you will make a significant difference in your confidence level and ability to move safely through a darkened environment. Also, with everyone trying to cut costs these days, parking lots and structures are turning on fewer lights at night and even cutting lights entirely in areas designated as “unnecessary.” This means that moving around after dark is a lot more dangerous. Carrying a flashlight is a good deterrent to criminals. The mere fact that you carry one is an indicator that you are prepared and being prepared means you are a hard target. Criminals seek soft, unprepared easy targets. Also, nothing says, “I see you,” like shinning a light directly onto someone.

By Alex Haddox

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A flashlight can double as a defensive impact weapon. Tactical flashlights are available in shapes and sizes nearly identical to a kubotan and can be employed in exactly the same manner. You grip it in your hand like a hammer, with a bit sticking out of either end of your clenched fist, and use it as a blunt instrument. This type of implementation increases the effectiveness of the strike by focusing taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

Here are some features that you should consider in your tactical flashlight: v Brightness The light intensity should be at least 80 lumens. This is enough strength to really illuminate an area and temporarily blind an adversary. If you work in the military or lawenforcement, you might need 120 or more, but any citizen should be fine with 80 or more. v Shock Isolated Bulb or LED Shock isolation systems provide impact protection for lamp filament bulbs. LED are naturally shock-resistant. If you drop the light or use it for defense it should still work afterwards. v Overall Length If you want the option of an impact weapon, the cylinder should stick out from your clenched fist. For most people, this is at least five and a half inches or 15 centimeters. v Size The flashlight should not be too large, heavy or cumbersome. As with anything you might carry, if it is a pain to keep around, you are not going to carry it. Select something that you would be comfortable carrying on a night out. v Shape Similar to kubotans, you want a hard, but blunt striking surface. If the flashlight has teeth or ridges and pierces the skin with strikes, it might be treated differently in court. v Product Description Product descriptions might play a role in your court case. If you are called before a jury to defend your actions, do you

want the “Killer Death Light” as Exhibit A, or would you prefer to have something that your grandmother might carry in her purse? v Constant On The ability to turn the light on and have it stay on. v Tail Cap Switch A thumb-activated switch to manipulate the power. v Strobe The strobe feature is amazing. The quick flashing of intense light in the face is effective in disorienting an assailant, but could triple the cost of the flashlight. v Batteries Always use the manufacturer recommend battery type in your tactical light. Besides the normal alkaline batteries, some now use nickel cadmium, nickel metal hydride or lithium ion. Lithium ion batteries can sit around for almost a decade and not drain. A standard mini-MagLite light will not fit most of these recommendations. However, if you do not have the budget for a true tactical light, a miniMagLite is better than nothing. Tactical flashlights are a self-defense tool available to everyone. They have multiple functions from deterrent to illumination to distraction to impact weapon. In places where I cannot carry other defensive tools, I carry my tactical flashlight.

Alex Haddox has nearly two decades of combined traditional martial arts training in multiple styles including American Kenpo, Hapkido and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. He also holds firearms instructor credentials and is a Level 3 instructor in Jim Wagner’s Reality-Based Personal Protection System. His company, Palladium Education, Inc., offers self-defense training to the general public and workplace violence prevention training to the health care industry. Additionally, he is the creator and host of a free weekly podcast called “Practical Defense” that is heard in over 100 countries. To learn more or contact Alex Haddox, visit www.palladium-education.com.

84 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

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IV^ H]Vc BVci^h i]Z . Igji]h =Vee^cZhh ^c 6gi By Guy Edward Larke

Nowadays, even non-martial artists can list the benefits of martial arts training. This kind of information is commonplace. Commonly, they include self-defense, physical fitness, stress-busting and confidence. If you are lucky to find a good teacher who espouses traditional values, you can also learn traditional movement, culture, meditation and bits of a foreign language. Through training, another side benefit should be peace of mind and strong character. Everyone claims to teach them, but really there is no measurable way to gauge progress in these areas. A good way to explain this is to examine how many â&#x20AC;&#x153;bad boysâ&#x20AC;? are martial arts trained. One, most instructors could care less about whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s paying the tuition and two, for those who do, they are lost as to how to actually change the character of the students in question. Sometimes, it seems you go to the dojang to bump into those who are causing you the most grief. If you read Grandmaster Woojin Jungâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s autobiography, Eastern Spirit, Western Dreams, he encountered just that kind of nightmare. He is rare. He rose above it. Most give up. Another problem with modern combat systems is a lack of compassion. They seem to get you ready for a tour in Iraq, rather than to build your spirit. Plus, it

seems every month thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a new street fighting system designed to kill, cripple or maim everyone, including the hairdresser who forgot you want just a trim. If you look at sport-orientated systems, you get in great physical condition and if you are already athletically inclined, a chance to shine. For those who arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t interested in that or are less gifted than average, that kind of program is mostly useless. Last, but not least, a disadvantage with all schools, but especially many traditional ones, is a lack of selfexpression and even more so, the pursuit of true happiness. The forms are breathtaking, but also quite restrictive as well. Most people wander around in a daze and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even realize theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in one. When they break free of it for fleeting moments, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to take in negative influences. Sadly, many practitioners of the martial arts fall into the same self-destructive behaviors. Bruce Lee did his best to educate the populace in his best-selling book, The Tao of Jeet Kune Do. He wanted people to break free of all restrictions (in and out of the arts) and express themselves openly, honestly and simply. Still, many fail to see the truths that were spelled out so clearly in its pages. The late 20th and 21st century saw many experts in the field of self-development. A few were even martial artists themselves (such as Brian Tracy and Tony Robbins). People such as these try to change the face of society and give the arts a much needed injection of direction.

Experimenting with a prototype on the big island

86 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

BVhiZg BdhZh More than a few others have made similar contributions but remain largely unknown. One of these unsung scholars is a man by the name of Rob Moses. A protégé of legendary Mantis Kung Fu Grandmaster Kam Yuen (also the first instructor of the late David Carradine), he quickly became enamored with the fusion style Sifu Kam Yuen, simply titled, Northern Shaolin Tai-Chi Praying Mantis (a synthesis of all the existing forms of Praying Mantis Kung Fu). A big turning point for Moses was when he was asked by his master to train his idol, David Carradine, for his role in the 1983 movie Lone Wolf McQuade with Chuck Norris. They quickly bonded, finding each other to be kindred souls and established a friendship that existed till the tragic moments that lead up to David’s death. They were more like brothers than master or student. After that experience, the two stayed in close contact and trained together whenever possible. Sifu Moses was even his trainer in the TV series Kung Fu the Legend Continues and even appeared as one of the monks that reoccurred in the program. What lead to his contribution was the evening of December 8, 1999. It was David’s birthday, but David’s wife and he had to break plans with his old friend to meet him, so Rob decided to go to the beach and enjoy the solitude. As many might remember, the Y2K scare was a large threat hanging over the world. He started thinking about what might happen and what kind of thing he could do to make a difference in the next three weeks if the world fell apart. One thing was for certain, training a Hollywood movie star wasn’t it. As he walked and contemplated, Moses watched the hypnotic motions of the ocean waves. Questions came into his head like, “What’s the bottom line?” and “What’s the real truth behind everything I learned as a martial artist?” David Carradine & Sifu Rob for Spiral Fitness Promo

1991 Kung Fu the Legend Continues pilot

As if from a Hollywood production, he felt lighter and his weight distribution changed. Quickly, he felt inspired to start doing various martial arts maneuvers. Kicks, punches and stances gave way to pushing, pulling, evading (the previous three already existed in various mantis systems) along various lines of motion. These movements seemed too universal in that although they were martial, they were also motions from everyday activities (carpentry, sports, crafts, etc.). As he continued, other questions filled his mind. “How does it feel to fly?” “How does it feel to be a tool?” He felt the answers he was looking for coming to him. He could feel “something” different inside and outside his body. After hours of training, he discovered nine absolute truths. It minimized his need to think of an opponent in front of him (as in traditional forms training), but rather to sense other things, such as the horizon and living things around him. He saw his greatest adversary truly was himself. If he could be egoless, he couldn’t be broken. In seeing life through this movement, he realized the “bloodshed imagery” that fills the human condition. By freeing himself from the limitations he had put on himself, he could be more than he was. Martial arts became an expression of his being that held self-defense as a secondary role. His view was never the same again. He kept practicing and refining the nine truths he discovered after his awakening. He even shared his discoveries with David and excited him as well. As Mantis Kung Fu systems are already very circular based, the result was even more circular, including punches, kicks, throws, evasions, and pushing and pulling movements. There are also linear elements included as well. The final was a freestyle form that never stops moving and never looks the same way twice. Also, every person is different so every practitioner should look different as well. It is affected by your mood, personality, body condition and the environment around you. One of the most interesting differences of this form of Mantis Kung Fu is that it’s the first style to acknowledge that mantises fly. taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

I]Z . Igji]h A^cZ BVci^h/ In essence, this first and

most basic truth is about pushing and pulling. That can be in fishing, throwing a baseball or in the martial arts, grabbing and throwing. You can also imagine trapping an opponent’s limb so you can counter attack.

BVci^h 8Vhih >ih LZW/

Imagine if a mantis could cast a web like a spider or a fisherman throwing a net into the sea. Those same principles can be employed in throwing (or resist being thrown) and evasion.

<ngd BVci^h/ This third element is

about gyro physics. Through freedom of movement and understanding the concept of a circle within a circle, one can further employ those techniques to joint locks and submission techniques.

BVci^h VcY i]Z KdgiZm/

The important aspect to this is the concept of shaping your hands in the shape of a teardrop. Like a teardrop, you flow fluidly towards your target around whatever obstacles may come your way.

BVci^h ;^\]ih JehigZVb/ This involves aqua dynamics. Imagine you are actually a fish swimming upstream against the current. It is about maximizing your movement potential. This enables you to reposition yourself when you have to face an aggressor head on.

=jgg^XVcZ BVci^h/ This

resembles the previous one, but in fact you are a force of nature; the wind actually. You can go up and down, slow to fast. It is a very busy series of movements designed to overwhelm an adversary.

H]VYdl BVci^h/

This truth is used in conjunction with all the others. You are in essence developing your peripheral vision. You watch and use your shadow, much like a boxer who shadowboxes. It is a very effective way to correct yourself without relying on mirrors.

:bein BVci^h/ In this you use

every part of your hands. It looks like a movie or video game when someone might make a magic ball or trea-

88 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

sure with their hands. The size doesn’t matter in the least. This aids in controlling an adversary after you trapped their limb.

C^ci] >beadh^dc/ The final law or

rule that he discovered is about the concept of cause and effect. From a philosophical point of view, it deals with empathy and interactions with others. Physically, the implosion movements are about gathering or bringing something into you. The explosion part is about discarding it. Think about throwing someone to the ground after they charge you or responding to a kick with a spinning back fist. This awakening even affected Moses’ weapons training. For years he used to go to the Ventura River mouth in mid-state California and do his weapons training by the river. He preferred it when there weren’t many people there due to a painful shyness he felt most of his life. One time after a hard rain, he just grabbed branches and reeds instead of a three-sectioned staff or broadsword and let himself go. He discovered the infinite variety of movements that were open to him which dwarfed all he had learned in his dedicated years of training. Each type of branch or reed seemed to have its own movement. Every time after that, he would experiment with the branches; eventually he stopped bringing weapons altogether. He didn’t even realize his new found confidence until people started approaching him about what he was doing and very eagerly began talking about his non-hostile energy training. The natural implements Moses employed were extensions of himself. They felt honest and pure. He narrowed the shapes into three consistent and “alive” forms. He knew he quickly had to have prototypes based on them. One was like an “S” that was stretched outwards. It resembled a Diapasm Octave that is found in music. The second resembled one-sixth of a circle like a bent staff. Later he discovered this shape was referred to as a Vesica Pisces. The third was like half of a heart. It was by far the most challenging. The Smashing bricks at the Malibu Health Fair in 1983

term as it would turn out to be was a Fibomacci Spiral. Much later in his training he was introduced to “Sacred Geometry.” He was stunned to see the parallels in what he had discovered. Moses had rattan prototypes designed to train with for the outdoors, especially in the high winds of Hawaii. He began cutting them down to smaller sizes and eventually settled on the reduced Fibomacci Spiral (21 inches in length) and turned it into his patented “Sphere Knot” (which according to Master Moses, is divided three times by the most powerful number in the universe … 1.618…). His art became entitled Tai Shan Mantis or Tai Shan 9 Psalms. Many used “9 Palms” or “Tai Shan 9 Palms” to avoid any religious inferences or confusion over the purpose of the art. It was never meant to be anything of the sort. He doesn’t believe he’s created a new combat form. Unlike many other masters, he doesn’t believe you should empty your cup. All experiences should be savored and appreciated. For martial artists, it’s a way to explore new horizons in their training while expressing themselves completely. It is not that difficult to injure someone. Mankind has done that to itself since the beginning. To develop one’s martial skills for the purpose of purifying oneself is the goal. For others, Tai Shan Mantis is a fresh and unique approach to relieving stress, curing nagging health issues and bringing joy into lives. It’s good for anyone, in any walk of life.

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October 3 Hoshinkido Hapkido Seminar to be held at the Bronx, New York YMCA. Open to all martial arts styles and ranks. The seminar will be conducted by world renowned Hapkido Grandmaster Serge Baubil, ninth-dan. For more info contact Master George Somersall at: (347) 228-8042 or gsomersall@ newagetkd.com. 17 8th Jerusalem Open Championships in Jerusalem, Israel. Learn more by visiting www.isr-tkd.com.

November 5-6 Martial Arts Expo to be held in Orlando, Florida. Learn more at www.ourams.com/expo. 5-7 ITF International Instructor Course to be held in Hoofddorp, Netherlands. Visit www.itftkd.org to learn more. 13 Budo International Hall of Fame to be held at Surf Club in New Rochelle, New York. For more information visit www.mauricepromartialarts.com. 27-28 VII International Taekwon-Do ITF Championship “Sofia Open” to be held in Sofia, Bulgaria. Learn more at www.itftkd.org.

December ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Guy Edward Larke sabumnim has dedicated his life from a young age to the pursuit of the martial arts, Asian culture and hopology. It led him to Korea in 2000 and he has lived there ever since. He lives in Daejeon city with his wife Gi-Ryung and son Alexander. He holds black belts in Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido, Taekkyon, Bon Kuk Kumdo, Korean kickboxing, Karate-do, Wushu, Cheonjimuye-do, and Hosin-sul. Currently he teaches Taeglish (English Taekwondo) full time in addition to writing for various magazines and running Kisa-Do Muye & Marketing. He can be contacted at kissa_do_muye@ yahoo.ca.

4-5 2010 Oceania Taekwondo Championships to be held in Noumea, New Caledonia. For more info, email crt.ncl@gmail.com.

2011 January 28-31 5th Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships to be held in Chennai, India. For more information visit www.tfiindia.com.

March 17-19 2nd South Asian ITF Taekwon-Do Championships to be held in Kathmandu, Nepal. For more info visit www.itftkd.org.

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FLORIDA

American TKD Union 1303 E Busch Blvd Tampa 33612 (313) 935-8888 Aruba Karate Institute 7440 NW 79th St Miami 33166 ecco@setarnet.com ATU Headquarters 1303 E Busch Blvd Tampa 33612 (313) 935-8888 Choi Kwang Do Largo 13819-C Washington Rd Largo 33774 East Coast Martial Arts Supply 1646 E Colonial Drive Orlando 32803 (407) 896-2487 NKMAA- Florida Master Thomas Gordon Gordon Martial Arts PO Box 1966,Crestview 32536 Jun Kimʼs Martial Arts Center 10024 West Oakland Park Blvd Sunrise 33351 (954) 741-8000 Independent TKD Association 2919 E North Military Trail West Palm Beach 33409 (561) 745-1331 USNTA National Team Training Center 5720 Old Cheney Hwy Orlando 32807 (312) 443-8077 USNTA.org

Yeshá Ministries(14 NE FL locations) Grand Master Charles W. Coker 904-399-0404 or 904-838-8585 Yeshaministries.com

Chung Kimʼs Black Belt Academy 1423 18th St Bettendorf 52722 (563) 359-7000

GEORGIA

Jungʼs TaeKwonDo Inc. New Life Fitness World Cedar Rapids 52404 (319) 396-1980

Choi Kwang Do Cartersville 1239 Joe Frank Harris Pkwy Cartersville 30120 (678) 721-5166 Choi Kwang Do Suwanee 4285 Brogdon Exchange Suwanee 30024 (770) 654-1510 T.S. Lee World Martial Arts 3003 N Decatur Rd Decatur 30033 404-508-3325 www.tsleetkd.com

HAWAII

GM Hee Il Choʼs TKD Center Koko Marina Shopping Center Honolulu 96825 (808) 396- 8900 aimaa.com

ILLINOIS

Great River Martial Arts 1647 Hwy 104 Quincy 62305 (217) 257-9000 International Hapkido USA 1385 N Milwaukee Ave Chicago 60622 (312) 225-4828 K. H. Kimʼs TaeKwonDo 3141 Dundee Rd Northbrook 60062 Kimʼs Black Belt Academy Grandmaster Tae H. Kim 2230 Ogden Ave Aurora 60504 Ottawa Martial Arts Academy 500 State St Ottawa 61350 (815) 434-7576 Universal TKD Association 1207 W Main Peoria 61606 (309) 673-2000 US National TKD Federation 9956 W Grand Ave Franklin Park 60131 usntf.com

INDIANA

United Martial Arts Center 11625 S Cleveland Ave # 3 Ft. Myers 33907 (239) 433-2299

Self Defense America 2450 Lincoln Street Highland 46322 (219) 545-7894

World Class Taekwondo Master Mark Thibodeau Clermont, FL 34711 (352) 394-8485 www.worldclasstkd.com

Ancient Memories Academy 2600 E Euclid Des Moines 50317 (515) 266-6209

IOWA

Jungʼs TaeKwonDo 501 Panama St Nashua 50658 (641) 435-4920 Martial Arts America 621 S. Ankeny Blvd. Ankeny, Iowa 50021 www.martialartsamerica.net NKMAA- Iowa Academy of Korean Martial Arts 336 Fairfield St., Waterloo 50703 319-269-0741 theakma.com Raccoon Valley Martial Arts 104 S 7th St Adel 50003 (515) 993-3474 Two Rivers Martial Arts Inc. 2017 Southlawn Des Moines 50315 (515) 285-5049

KANSAS

Choon Leeʼs Academy of TKD 11453 W 64th St Shawnee Mission 66203 (913) 631-1414 Ryu Kyu Imports 5005 Merrian Lane Merriam 66203 (913) 782-3920

LOUISIANA

MICHIGAN

B.C. Yu Martial Arts 5204 Jackson Road Suites F & G Ann Arbor 48103 (734) 994-9595 BCYU.com D.S. Kimʼs TKD-Milford 125 Main St Ste 500 Milford 48381 (248) 529-3506 www.dskims.com Choi Kwang Do Trenton 3010 Van Horn Rd Suite A Trenton 48183 (734) 675-2464 International TKD Association PO Box 281 Grand Blanc 48480 (810) 232-6482 itatkd.com Universal American Natl TKD PO Box 249 Sturgis 49091 (574) 243-3450 uantu.org World Martial Arts Association 37637 5 Mile Rd #348 Livonia 48154 (734) 536-1816

MISSOURI

American Midwest TKD Academy 315 W Pacific St Webster Grove 63119 (314) 968-9494 Choon Leeʼs Black Belt Academy 121 NE 72nd St Gladstone 64114 (816) 436-5909 Kuk Sool Won of St. Peters #1 Sutters Mill Road St. Peters 63376 (636) 928-0035

Han Do Group 4816 Jamestown Ave Baton Rouge 70808 (225) 924-2837 hanmudo.com

Master Jeʼs World Martial Arts 6204 NW Barry Rd Kansas City 64154 (816) 741-1300

MARYLAND

Cane Masters Intl Association PO Box 7301 Incline Village 89452 canemasters.com

World Combat Arts Federation PO Box 763 Owings Mills 21117 (410) 262-2333

MASSACHUSETTS AAU Taekwondo Mr. Mike Friello (518) 372-6849 mfriello@aol.com

Myung Kimʼs Acupuncture 347 Massachusetts Ave Arlington 02474 (781) 643-3679

NEVADA

East West Martial Art Supply 2301 E Sunset Rd Suite 22 Las Vegas 89119 (702) 260-4552 Wheatley Intl TaeKwon-Do 1790 W Fourth St Reno 89503 (775) 826-2355

Directory NEW JERSEY

Intl Taekwon-Do Academy 54 Nagle Ave New York City 10034 (212) 942-9444 itakick@aol.com

International Martial Arts 10 Main St Woodbridge 07095 888-IMATKD1 www.IMATKD.com

Mark Cashattʼs TKD School 30 West Broad St Souderton 18964 (215) 721-1839

Progressive Martial Arts 112 E Sam Rayburn Dr Bonham 75418 (903) 583-6160

Iron Dragon Fitness & Self-Defense 88-8 Dunning Rd Middletown 10940 (845) 342-3413

Master Kovaleskiʼs Tang Soo Karate USA 802 Main St. Dickson City, 18519 570-307-KICK tangsookarateusa.com

World Kuk Sool Won 20275 FM 2920 Tomball 77375 (281) 255-2550

New Age TKD & Hapkido 2535 Pearsall Ave Bronx 10469 (347)228-8042

Pan-Am Tang Soo Do Federation 1450 Mt Rose Ave York 17403 (717) 848-5566

MacKenzieʼs TaeKwon-Do & Hapkido 200 White Horse Road Voorhees, N.J. 08043 (856) 346-1111 GoldMedalFamilyKarate.com

Pro Martial Arts (866) 574-0228 mauricepromartialarts.com Queens Taekwon-do Center 89-16 Roosevelt Ave Basement Jackson Heights 11372 (718) 639-6998

Red Tiger TaeKwonDo-USTC 1912 Welsh Rd Philadelphia 19115 (215) 969-9962 red-tiger.com

MacKenzie & Yates Martial Arts 302 White Horse Pike Atco, N.J. 08004 (856) 719-1411 MacKenzieandYatesMartialArts.com

TʼaeCole TKD Fitness 909 Willis Ave Albertson 11507 (516) 739-7699 taecoleTKD.com

Cumberland County Martial Arts 531 N High St Millville 08332 (856) 327-2244

Ki Yun Yiʼs Karate Institute 560 S Evergreen Ave Woodbury 08096 (609) 848-2333

MacKenzie & Allebach TaeKwon-Do 1833 Route 70 East Cherry Hill, N.J. 08003 (856) 424-7070 GoldMedalFamilyKarate.com MacKenzieʼs TaeKwon-Do & Hapkido Institute. 7710 Maple Ave. Pennsauken , N.J. 08109 (856) 662-5551 GoldMedalFamilyKarate.com MacKenzie & Barnabie Martial Arts 1599-D Route 38 Lumberton, N.J. 08048 (609) 702-0666 MacKenzieandBarnabieKarate.com Richard Chun TaeKwonDo Center 87 Stonehurst Dr Tenafly 07670 (201) 569-3260 World Sin Moo Hapkido DoJuNim Ji, Han Jae/GM Ken MacKenzie Federation PO Box 262, Atco, N.J. 08004 WorldSinMooHapkidoFederation.com

NEW MEXICO

Grandmaster Hee Il Choʼs TKD 8214 Montgomery Blvd NE Albuquerque 87110 (505) 292-4277

NEW YORK

Black Belt Fitness Center 54-10 31st Ave Woodside 11377 (718) 204-1777 idlokwan.org Dynamics World Martial Supply (800) 538-1995 dynamicsworld.com

NORTH CAROLINA

NKMAA - North Carolina Master Monty Hendrix Essential Martial Arts, Inc (336) 282-3000 Lionʼs Den Martial Arts 413 N Durham Ave Creedmore 27522 (919) 528-6291 sajado.org World TaeKwonDo Center 112 Kilmayne Dr Cary 27511 (919) 469-6088

OHIO

NKMAA-Ohio Master Doug Custer Nacient Oriental Fighting Arts 608 S Platt St, Montpelier 43543

OREGON

NKMAA-Oregon Master Kevin Janisse NW Korean Martial Arts 12083 SE Eagle Dr,Clackamas 97015

PENNSYLVANIA ICF Hapkido 7252 Valley Ave Philadelphia 19128 (215) 483-5070

Intl Tang Soo Do Federation 3955 Monroeville Blvd Monroeville 15146 (412) 373-8666

The Martial Artist 9 Franklin Blvd Philadelphia 19154 (800) 726-0438 World Tang Soo Do Association 709 Oregon Ave Philadelphia 19146 (215) 468-2121

TENNESSEE

QUEBEC

Intl Bum Moo HKD-Hoshinkido 111 Laurentides Blvd Pont-Viau Montreal Laval H7G-2T2 (450) 662-9987

ONTARIO

Kuk Sool Won of Sault Ste. Marie 40 White Oak Dr E Sault Ste. Marie P6B 4J8 (705) 253-4220

VERMONT

Stadion Enterprises Island Pond 05846 (802) 723-6175 stadion.com

VIRGINIA

USA Tiger Martial Arts 48 Plaza Drive Manakin Sabot 23103 (804) 741-7400

NKMAA- Ontario Master Dusty Miner Sidekicks School of MA 2421 New St, Burlington

GERMANY

World Famous USA Tiger Martial 3941 Deep Rock Rd Richmond 23233 (804) 741-7400

World Martial Arts League Klaus Schuhmacher Rhoenstr 55 Offenbach 63971 wmal@mail.com

ITALY

W.O.M.A. Intʼl C.P. # 59 Conegliano Tv 31015 Womainternational.Com

World Martial Arts Group Dr. Jerry Beasley Christiansburg 24068 aikia.net

INDIA

WASHINGTON Robert Ott Martial Arts 9235 Piperhill Dr SE Olympia 98513 (360) 888-0474

Martial Arts Academy of India 30 GF DDA Flads, Sarvapriva, Vihar, New Delhi 110016 Tel: (011) 686-1625

TEXAS

Simʼs TaeKwonDo USA 9460 Rainier Ave S Seattle 98118 (206) 725-4191

Martial Arts Training Gulmohar Sports Center New Delhi 110049 Tel: 9111-467-1540

Central Texas TKD Council Master Danny Passmore (254) 662-3229

American Martial Arts Center 2711 Allen Blvd Suite 82 Middleton 53562 (808) 831-5967 amac-tkd.com

Zulfi TKD Academy of Pakistan II-B 10/2 Nazimabad Karachi Tel: 9221-660-5788

J.K. Lee Black Belt Academy 12645 W Lisbon Rd Brookfield 53005 (262) 783-5131

Korean MA Instructors Association SongSanRi 661, BonJi JonNam JangSongKun JangSongUb Chollanamdo Kmaia.org

CANADA

UNITED KINGDOM

World Black Belt Bureau Grandmaster Kang Rhee Cordova (Memphis) 38088 (901) 757-5000 worldbbb.com

Alakoji Knife & Martial Art Supply San A 302 W Madison Ave Harlingen 78550 (956) 440-8382

Champion Training 522 W Harwood Rd Hurst 76054 (817) 605-1555 Kimʼs Academy of TaeKwonDo 4447 Thousand Oaks Dr San Antonio 78233 (210) 653-2700 Kuk Sool Won of Austin 13376 Reserach Blvd #605 Austin 78750 (512) 258-7373 Kuk Sool Won of Baytown 805 Maplewood Baytown 77520 (281) 428-4930 Kuk Sool Won of Clear Lake 907 El Dorado Blvd #110 Houston 77062 (281) 486-5425

PAKISTAN

WISCONSIN

SOUTH KOREA

NKMAA- Headquarters Master Rudy Timmerman 1398 Airport Rd,Sault Ste. Marie, P6A 1M4 705-575-4854

ALBERTA COM-DO Direct (780) 460-7765 comdo.com

First Canada Tang Soo Do 209 3400 14th St NW Calgary T2K 1H9 (403) 284-BBKI

Great Britain Tang Soo Do Headquarters for Europe TSD Tel: 01234-766-468 NKMAA – United Kingdom Master Zachary Woon Wune Tang Academy Tang Soo Do 07733008207 wunetang.academy@ntlworld.com wunetangacademy.com

To list your school or business email info@taekwondotimes.com or call 319-396-1980.

Stretch Yourself By Thomas Kurz

BnhiZgn Hedgi GZkZVaZY Those who have read my previous column (Taekwondo Times, September 2010) and visited my blog at www.tomkurz.com, already know what mystery sport I referred to in my previous July 2010 column. For those who have not read the July’s column, I repeat my characterization of the sport: “There is a sport in which all athletes display both great flexibility and great strength, even though very many of them begin training long past the age of 16. The sport is so strenuous, and it puts such a great load on one’s joints, that if they were not in the safest positions they would be destroyed.” Another quote: “One [can] apply the relevant exercises from that sport to athletes who are too old for kiddie stretches of gymnastics...and devise a flexibility program effective for both children and adults…”

And here is my question again: What is the sport in which all athletes display both great flexibility and great strength? Before the September column appeared, I got a few answers but none of them named the correct sport. The answers ranged from American football to golf. None of the named sports meet the criteria for developing both great flexibility and great strength in adults. Olympic weightlifting is the sport. There are research papers showing that, but those who look and actually see, don’t need those papers to, well, see the obvious. A look at Olympic weightlifters doing their lifts is enough. Those who see, notice how the weightlifter’s hip position in low squat or in the bottom position of the snatch transfers to side splits, in split-style clean and jerk to the front split, and how alignment of back and shoulders in the snatch transfers to the back bridge.

µI]ZgZ ^h V hedgi ^c l]^X] Vaa Vi]aZiZh Y^heaVn Wdi] \gZVi [aZm^W^a^ in VcY \gZVi higZc\i]! ZkZc i]dj\] kZgn bVcn d[ i]Zb WZ\^c igV^c^c\ adc\ eVhi i]Z V\Z d[ &+# I]Z hedgi ^h hd higZcj" djh! VcY ^ i ejih hjX] V \gZVi adVY dc dcZ¸h _d^cih! i]Vi ^[ i]Zn lZgZ cdi ^c i]Z hV[Zhi edh^ i^dch i]Zn ldjaY WZ YZhigdnZY#¶ Thomas Kurz is an athlete, a physical education teacher, and a Judo instructor and coach. He studied at the University School of Physical Education in Warsaw, Poland (Akademia Wychowania Fizycznego). He is the author of Stretching Scientifically, Science of Sports Training: How to Plan and Control Training for Peak Performance, Secrets of Stretching, and Basic Instincts of Self-Defense. He also writes articles for Stadion News, a quarterly newsletter that is available from Stadion Publishing (stadion.com or stretching.info). For self-defense tips visit self-defense.info. If you have any questions on training you can post them at Stadion’s Sports and Martial Arts Training Discussion at stadion.com/phpBB2.

92 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

TKDT Correspondents Iowa Dan Spangler Jason Amoriell Julia Freel Ron Johnson Soyang Kwon Wallace Cooper Zoe Verchota

United States Alaska Lucinda Miller Arizona Jerry Laurita

Arkansas Johnny D. Taylor

Louisiana He-Young Kimm Ronda Sweet Maryland Dylan Presman Eric Frederick William Blake

$ % . . / 4 0 3

Massachusetts Gilbert Woodside, Jr. Norman McLinden

Colorado Dan Piller Karen Eden Renee Sereff

Florida Arthur Pryor Cynthia Breed Mel Steiner Sang Koo Kang Steve Blanton Thomas Gordon Victor Fontanez

Indiana James Theros

Nigeria George Ashiru

Bulgaria Robert Haritonov

North Korea Bong-Man Ra Jae-Hun Chung

Canada Marc-Andre Roy Mounir Ghrawi Phap Lu China Dong Yong Zheng Liang Huiyu Costa Rica Carlos Orozco

South Carolina Daniel Middleton Hyo-Won Choe Michelle Kim

Croatia Nenad Seferagic

Texas Dennis McHenry Don Kirsch Greg Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neal Richard Sacks Robert McLain

Norway Dag Jacobsen Jessica Stenholm Pakistan Rizwan Zubairi

Russia Alla Rabkina Nazarenko Ekaterina Yong Hun Kim Slovenia Zeljko Gvozdic

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Georgia Michael Wilson Seong Young Ji Susan Whitfield Suzanne Ellenberger Illinois Aaron Wayne-Duke Fernan Vargas Jeremy Talbott Michael Curtis

Pennsylvania Charles Vaughn Chong Su Kim Gregory Bruno Jennefer Pursell LaClaire MitchellNzerem Michael Aloia Stephen DiLeo

Missouri Dan Perry Joshua Paszkiewicz Nebraska Jeffrey Helaney Sue Sands-Buss

New Jersey Anthony Roure Belida Han Uckan Benjamin Paris Michael Robinson Quoc Tran Taek Sung Cho

Egypt Azza Ahmed Fouly Mohamed Riad Ibrahim France Pierre Sabbah

Virginia Arlene Limas Carol Griffis Chuck Thornton Joseph Catlett Jr. Pamela Justice

Washington Aaron Rayburn Joshua Dylka Kathrin Sumpter Robert Ott Sang B. Yun Susan Mix

Germany Byonho Won Klaus Schumacher India Sanjay Sachdeva Shammi Rana

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Delaware Frank Fattori John Godwin

Mississippi David Higgs J.R. West

$ + 4 4 Oklahoma Edward Smith

New Zealand Rua Kaiou

Brazil Ricardo Capozzi

New York Elvis Mendez Erica Linthorst George Vitale Kalynn Amadio Maurice Elmalem Sidney Rubinfeld Wee Sun Ngiaw North Carolina Jun Lee Master Rondy Steven Childress Ted Abbott

Wisconsin Erik Richardson Koang Woong Kim Tarryl Janik Argentina Nicolas Toboada Ricardo Desimone

Connecticut Kenneth Hilliard Robert Beaudoin

Michigan Stace Sanchez

Ohio C.M. Griffin David Hamilton Joon Pyo Choi Shawn Hamblin

Nepal G.L. Chapain Krishna Balal

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California Alex Haddox Daniela Camargo Federico Luna Jodi Lasky Man Tran Oscar Duran Peter Dallman Ray Terry Ron Shane

Australia Joon No Steven Luxmoore Tam Fook Chee Bangladesh Mohammad Sikder

North Dakota Jere Hilland

Iran Bahmanyar Roudgarnia Hossein Farid Sabbagh Japan Pak Chong Hyon

Mexico Angel Flores Gerardo Rosales Jose Lozoya Jose Velardes Marco Cardenas Roberto Mendoza Sonja Patratz

South Korea Chan-Mo Chung Chang Sup Shin Dong Young Park Gregory Brundage Guy Larke Hyun Chul Kim James Yoo Jinsung Kim Jung Doo Han Seok Je Lee Sook Kyung Moon Young Mi Yun Sweden Daniel Lee

Tanzania Lawrence Masawe Pascal Ilungu Uganda Sang Cheol Lee United Kingdom Alasdair Walkinshaw Anthony Aurelius David Friesen Ralph Allison

*List does not include all worldwide correspondents

Become a Correspondent! Learn how at taekwondotimes.com taekwondotimes.com / November 2010

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Mail, Fax or Email Your Name & Your Rank and Belt Color Birthdate, Sex, Ht./Wt. & Belt Size Title (Sensei, Sifu, SahBumNim, Dragon, etc.) Name of Your Style Your Mailing Address, Tel. Number, Email (if any) a Copy of your Most Recent Rank Certificate Mail To: WBBB Headquarters (HQ) P.O. BOX 2466 CORDOVA [MEMPHIS], TN 38088 • USA TEL [901] 757-5000 • FAX [901] 757-5040 or email krhee@wbbb.org

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Heart to Heart By Tae Yun Kim

My dear fellow Martial Artists, I have been saying these words to myself since I was young. I was considered a curse, bad luck from the moment I was born, because I was a girl and the firstborn child in the family. My early years were full of pain and obstacles every step of my way. But instead of letting myself get beaten down by all this abuse, I knew deep inside that I was meant for more. Under the guidance of my Master, I learned a way of life that was far beyond what the eyes could see or the ears could hear. My Master taught me how to harness the powers of Ki energy and with it, overcome obstacles in my life. Let me share these secrets with you. Regaining your connection with your Silent Master Consciousness is the ultimate healing solution for many problems. It bestows the peaceful, joyous, and loving high frequency energy that harmonizes and stabilizes all other energies in your being. If it seems really hard to regain your Silent Master Consciousness when you are so “pulled out” into the whirl of mental, emotional, and physical stress, there’s one thing that can help you. Remember this: All energy, negative and positive, is made of the one, pure, original Ki energy which is your Silent Master. Instead of regarding your stress as distress, regard it as your Silent Master energy in disguise. That is the truth. All distortions of energy, such as fear, greed, jealousy and anger, are capable of being transformed back into their original state. The first step in transforming these negative energies is to accept them. This means don’t try to “cut yourself off ” from them, ignore them, or try to convince yourself you don’t feel them. Our anger, even though it is a distortion, is ultimately your Silent Master Ki energy. You want to keep your energy and transform it, not throw it away. Secondly, explore the energy distortion. Whatever it is, it is telling you something about a condition, person, or event in your life that wants your attention. There is a reason for every feeling you feel and something to learn. Believe me, when you

96 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

listen to why you’re angry, you will get an earful. Thirdly, discharge your energy distortions by feeling them. There are a couple of therapists who actually have a technique of telling patients to make their energy distortions bigger. These therapists have found that temporarily exaggerating the distortion, feeling it even more intensely and dramatically than normal, has the effect of making you see it more clearly and discharge it more easily and rapidly. It is not surprising that this technique works well in dissolving negative energy patterns, since we’ve seen how the opposite policy of “holding” and “damming up” has such destructive effects. One way to release anger is to express your anger to someone you trust. Let that person see and hear how angry you are. This alone can do wonders in discharging that energy. And fourthly, take some action to replace the distorted energy pattern with another way of thinking, feeling, and acting. It’s fine to say, “Yes, I see how my chronic anger is an attempt to defend myself against hostile negative energy in my history.” Good, so what are you going to do now? What changes are you going to make in your environment, your attitudes, or your way of reacting to events around you? What are you going to do in the way of meditation or visualization to create and attract different energy patterns in your life? What do you do about a problem when you don’t know the cause? If you have a growth on your hand, you are at least aware that the growth is not part of your natural self. So you ask why is it manifesting…could this be a presentation of a not-self element? The first thing to do is consciously be aware that your true self, your true Ki energy, could be right where the growth is. Although it’s taking form in a negative picture, by changing your energy, you can influence this manifestation to change into a picture of your normal Ki energy. In a quiet state of meditation, you visualize your body perfectly whole, healthy, and free of the distortion. In this case, you see your hand clearly in your visualization in its normal, healthy condition. Notice that we are not attacking the problem, not doing anything to the growth. That would energize it. Nor are we ignoring it. That would leave it intact. Instead we are realizing your true self in the form of a visualization. This has a wonderful and powerful effect. Before long this visualization of wholeness, purity, and health, “forces out” the offending thought, emotion, concept, or pattern. When you fill your consciousness with the energy of perfection, the distortions necessarily become more clear and easy to see. Sometimes it can happen that you will consciously realize, in a moment of insight or inspiration, exactly what’s behind the negative picture and change your consciousness right on the spot to influence healing. For instance, one day as you are doing your visualization of your healthy hand, you may suddenly remember an ancient hatred you have for someone. You had forgotten all about it, and as you feel all the old emotions, you become aware of how you never let go of all the pain, anger, and hate from this scenario. That’s why you can still feel it. But if you take steps to forgive the person and let it go, your body will be freer to fight the growth. Don’t be surprised if sometime later you find that your healing has accelerated and that you are feeling much better.

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim is the founder and head of Jung SuWon. She is also the founder and CEO of Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions, a high-tech computer control and monitoring industry located in the Silicon Valley. Grandmaster Kim is a best-selling author and motivational speaker.

Pain, distress, and physical illness are manifestations of our own energy. That’s why they are an inevitable part of life. Instead of being defeated about these things, allow them to at least teach you something. Why endure pain for nothing? Since you’re going to encounter it, and since it’s your own energy, make it serve you. If you refuse to feel your mental and emotional pain, it will go on to take form physically in some way. By physically, I don’t necessarily mean a body illness only. Refusing to deal with mental and emotional pain leads quite directly to a false self-concept and behavior patterns of addiction, which only compound the pain. In order to cut off one emotion, such as sorrow, it’s necessary to cut off all emotion. That’s why the system works. A person who does this will have no valid emotions, and will need to seek other sources of “feeling.” He or she shuts out all normal feelings so they don’t have to feel that particular emotion they are trying to avoid. So the substitute feeling comes from “outside,” most likely sex, drugs, or alcohol. Indulging recklessly or thoughtlessly in these three things is probably the most common way to avoid feeling any real emotion. Some people also use their work or excessive sports for distraction. Whatever the substitute, it becomes addictive. Since it’s the only way the person can get any “feeling” of being alive, he or she must turn to it over and over; but what a price to pay for avoiding pain. Not only is this person denied any real plea-

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sure beyond the fleeting moments of empty gratification, but this person is getting set up for physical disease. That buried real feeling they’re going to so much trouble to avoid is sitting inside them like a time bomb. It will “go off ” one day and can take form in their body. This pattern of addiction is so unnecessary when we realize that painful energy is our true, original Ki energy in disguise. We don’t want to cut it off. Everything we experience can be returned to our original Ki, transformed into the original brightness and bliss that is the nature of our Silent Master Consciousness. You have a right to health and wholeness. Right this moment, you are vibrating with the life force of the universe, the original Ki that transformed into everything you presently see and experience. Don’t be afraid to dance with your Silent Master energy. Embrace it confidently, looking forward to its power to transform every negative coloration in your life back into its original purity. So, whatever stands in the way of peace, beauty, and harmony in your life, know that you have the power and ability to overcome it. That is your birthright to have what you truly desire. With love, from my heart to yours,

Great Grandmaster Dr. Tae Yun Kim HE CAN DO, SHE CAN DO, WHY NOT ME!

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For Information Call or Write United States National Taekwondo Federation 9954 West Grand Ave, Franklin Park, IL 60131 U.S.A. T-847-451-6000 F-847-451-1333 Toll Free-888-810-5966 Web Page: www. usntf.com E-mail: kwons_tkd@msn.com

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The Last Word

By C.M. Griffin

C. M. Griffin holds black belts in several martial arts. He is involved in many facets of the performing arts from stunt coordinator to director. He has written, produced and directed projects for television and for corporations. He owns and operates his own Hwa Rang Do school in Ohio.

Check this out: I was at a tournament not too long ago. In the black belt division, I saw a man in his early 20s step up to the judges and introduce himself, his style and his teacher. He then announced the form. The judges nodded and he stepped back to begin his form. The young man bowed, took a stance and...screamed! He then threw a couple high front kicks, did a jumping turning kick, landed and screamed again. Now this wasn’t a deep belly kihap or anything like that. It was a full-throated scream. The crowd went wild, applauding and shouting encouragement, and the screams got louder and faster. It seemed every time he moved, he would scream. Finally, he finished, with a scream of course, bowed and waited for the judges to score him. There were five judges on the panel, three were older Korean grandmasters and two were American masters. They all gave the man decent scores! Another man took his place and began to do his form and yelled. Now again, this wasn’t a kihap from the belly or the dan jun. This was a full-throated shout. And once again, every time he moved, he yelled and the crowd sounded its’ approval. Now this was supposed to be a “traditional tournament”, but almost all of the Black Belt competitors did the same thing. They either screamed or yelled! When it was over, some folks approached me and asked me my thoughts on the forms. I didn’t make any new friends that day. I asked what was the purpose of all the screaming? One person did Korryo and screamed every time he threw a punch! One of the teachers (who claimed to be a grandmaster but couldn’t have been older than 30) explained that was their kihap! When I told him that kihaps didn’t come from the throat, he seemed lost. “Where else would a shout come from?” he asked as he rolled his eyes and walked away with his students. One of the Korean grandmasters said to me that even though this was a “traditional tournament” the screaming was alright because it was a tournament and a good way to excite the crowd. That is not the way to do it in the dojang. I asked him with all due respect, how did he know? Since that young man is not one of his students and he has never visited their dojang, how does he know that this is not what is actually being taught? He had no answer. I was on a testing board awhile back for a Tae Kwon Do school and that is exactly how they did their forms. At the completion of a series of movements, the students would shout. Now to be fair, they did not scream. They actually did kihaps from below their bellies. But the forms were “juiced” so to speak. They had those extra kicks and so forth that you see in tournaments, but this was at a belt promotion. Unfortunately their teacher, who in reality was a second-degree, not a fifth, didn’t know any different. Traditional forms, such as Korryo, Bassai (Korean and Okinawa versions), have two, maybe three spots where you kihap. You don’t kihap every time you throw a punch or at the end of a series of kicks. That brings me to: What are people doing anyway? At a tournament, a well-known competitor claimed he was doing Korryo and it looked

98 November 2010 / taekwondotimes.com

like a combination of something you may see on “America’s Favorite Dance Crew” or an aerobic workout! The fight, the martial application, all went out the window for the sake of capturing the crowd. Spectacular techniques that have nothing to do with fighting are now the norm for Kata competition. A lot of Grandmasters and Masters belly ache about the watering down of martial arts and yet they are allowing this modification of forms to happen directly in front of them. It’s one thing to complain to your friends and peers, it’s something else to not allow it at traditional tournaments. Even if you are a promoter and feel that “open” competition is fine, make sure students understand that is not the true way to execute the form. I am not talking about interpretations of movements in the forms, I mean the way the forms are done. There are no jumping, turning, spinning, twisting high kicks in Korryo. If you want to modify the forms for competition or whatever, then call it a different name or say “This is a modified version of Korryo that my teacher Sabumnim Butt Whumper has developed.” And then, don’t scream! I hate to sound like this, but back in the day, if you did something wrong in your forms at a tournament, senior Masters and Grandmasters would take you aside and show you (and your teacher) the proper way. We need to get back to that. Again, I’m not talking about interpretation, I mean actual execution of technique. Screaming is not correct in any martial art. It’s gotten to the point that a few us can’t stand watching “World Champions” compete at a popular televised tournament without earplugs because of all the screaming. C’mon now, you should know better. And if you don’t, shame on your seniors, Masters and Grandmasters who rather than risk insulting you, let you continue to do things improperly. Stop screaming!

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TKD Enterprises

Catalog

Martial Art Products

Featured DVDs

WTF Standard Taekwondo Poomsae

Flow and Flexibility

The only WTF-recognized standard poomsae video textbook available used by instructors, demonstrators and referees. Each DVD contains full-length poomsae instruction. Multilanguage version (Korean / English / French / Spanish / German). Item D035 / 4-disk set / $99.00

These carefully chosen techniques from the Budokon System will teach you to address areas of weakness and limited range while cultivating kinetic chains of energy and seamless transitions. Props recommended: fitness mat, yoga brick. Item DPP01 / $25.00

ITF Tul

Power and Agility

ITF Basic Posture, Chon-Ji, Dan-Gun, Do-San, Won-Hyo, Yul-Gok, Joong-Gun, Toi-Gae, Hwa-Rang, Choong-Moo. Vol. 2:Kwang-Gae, Po-Eun, Ge-Baek, Eui-Am, ChoongJang, Ju-Che, Sam-Il, Yoo-Sin, Choi-Yong. Languages: Korean, English and Japanese. 210 minutes. Item D043 / Entire 2-disk set / $55.00

17th Spain World TKD Championships Watch gorgeous techniques of top-level players as they compete in Madrid. Witness the introduction of â&#x20AC;&#x153;sudden deathâ&#x20AC;? and how changing the matches from three to two minutes intensifies the bouts! 240 minutes. Item D040 / $24.95

This is the preferred training tool for experienced yogis, MMA fighters, martial artists, and Olympic athletes alike. Props recommended: fitness mat, yoga brick. Item DPP03 / $25.00

Essential Defense System This three-disc DVD set with Michael Aloia delivers a simple, eďŹ&#x20AC;ective approach to self-protection. Vol 1: methods of E.D.S. Vol 2: striking, takedowns, joint locks, controls and theory. Vol 3: falling, conďŹ ned spaces and weapon defenses. Item DPP04 / $32.99

Secrets of Stretching

Revolution of Kicking This DVD offers basic kicking skills to the finer points of kicking on the master level. The easy explanation with classified kicking can be a model for your training. Vol.1 (50 min.): Front, roundhouse, side, back, spinning and pushing kicks combined in a total of six chapters. Vol.2 (60 min.): Axe, front-spinning, back-spinning, jumping, jumping-roundhouse, jumping-side, jumping-back, jumpingspinning, one-foot-spinning, double, whirl and the 540 turningwheel kicks are covered in a total of twelve chapters. Item D036 / 2-disk set / $43.00

Revolution of Kicking II This product is a two volume set. When you grasp the knowledge and skills in this DVD set, you will possess the skills to be a master! Now Mooto reveals the know-how of Tae Kwon Do Air kicking on the master level. This easy explanation with classified kicking can be modeled for your training. Vol 1: Pine board breaking, single breaking, breakfall breaking, and combination. Vol 2: Breaking with turn, In air dwi-chagi, obstacle breaking, and general breaking. Item D048 / $43.00

2001-2003 World Taekwondo Matches

Master Jungâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Know-How of Actual Gyeorugi This 4-disk set, featuring the Bible of Taekwondo Gyeorugi is taught by Professor Jung. Amongst his highest achievements are being a four-time consecutive World Taekwondo champion and a gold medalist in the 1988 Olympics. Vol. 1: Basic Skills. Vol. 2: Step and Feint Motion. Vol. 3: Strategy. Vol. 4: Real Competition Strategy. 480 minutes. Language: Korean Subtitles: English, Spanish. Item D038 / $69.99

The Power High Kicks with No Warm-Up! Learn to kick high and with power without any warm-up! Kick â&#x20AC;&#x153;coldâ&#x20AC;? without injuring yourself or pulling muscles and put more power and snap in your high kicks. 80 minutes. Item DPP07 / $49.95

Clinic on Stretching and Kicking See the dynamic stretch that is most important for kickers; plus step-by-step drills for front kick, side kick, roundhouse kick and for combinations. 101 minutes. Item DPP08 / $29.95

Acrobatic Tumbling Step-by-step instruction for one-hand, two-hand, and aerial cartwheels, round-off, front and back handspring, and front somersault. 105 minutes. Item DPP10 / $49.95

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A four-disk set showcasing the World Taekwondo matches from 2001 to 2003. Vol. 1 (200 min.): The 2001 World Cup in Vietnam. Vol. 2 (240 min.): The 15th Jeju World Taekwondo Championships. Vol. 3 (235 min.): The 2002 Tokyo Taekwondo World Cup. Vol. 4 (240 min.): The 2003 World Taekwondo Championships.Item D039 / $69.99

Learn what determines how flexible you are, how to choose your stretching method for any sport or martial art, and have full flexibility without any warm-up.Multi-language version in English, French and Spanish. 92 minutes. Item DPP06 / $49.95

Elite Israeli Combat DVD Set

The 3-disc set includes: defense and disarm techniques for firearm threats; edged-weapon defense; â&#x20AC;&#x153;on the groundâ&#x20AC;? survival defense; hand-to-hand techniques; military, police and counter terrorism CQB; combat conditioning essentials; and applicable defensive tools for every person. Item DPP11 / $99.00 1 ) ) . ) ) ) ) 4 ) ) 56 , 7 ), * * ) ) 5/ 7 ) ) ) 8 - +, ) - )) ) 9 & :; ) , . ) ) 4 ) ) * )

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The Complete Library Set -17 DVDs Commando Krav Maga (Vol.1-5): Survive Vicious Ground Attacks (Vol.1&2): Survive Any Gun Confrontation (Vol. 1&2): Best Of The Israeli Fighting Systems (Vol. 1&2): Vicious Knife Attacks (3 Disc Series): Military Krav Maga (One Vol.): Street Survival (One Vol.): Combatant (One Vol.). Item DPP12 / $392.95

Featured DVDs

Certain Victory Collection

The Quick Fit Library: 6 Dvd Set + FullColor Book

Certain Victory Special Edition

The Complete Library Set with 17 DVDs with the Quick Fit Library with 6-DVD set and book. Item DPP13 / $594.95

A treasure for any true Korean Martial Arts student or instructor! This Flowering Warrior-crafted special edition includes the original biography Certain Victory By Chief Master Robert J. Ott & the recently completed Part II featuring 9 newly written chapters with new photos, biographies of well known practitioners, philosophies, admiration & a chapter on Tae Kwon Do Times Magazine. Included is a threepage pull-out poster with a description on the Flowering Warrior Enterprises, LLC mark. Also included is the DVD Setting the Course! Preorder Advanced Copy Now! Hardcover Item BPP25 / $49.95 Paperback Item BPP26 / $18.95

Aikido- art in motion DVD series

Certian Victory

6 Training Dvds: Over 6 hours of revolutionary training drills: Over 300 proven techniques: Solo and partner exercises: Step-by-step progressive routines: PLUS The Elite Combat Fitness Book with 240 full color pages. Item DPP14 / $239.95

The Platinum Set-23 Dvds + Book

Original version of Certain Victory Hardcover Item BPP29 / $39.95 SOLD OUT! Paperback Item BPP28 / $14.95

Aikido is one of the most innovative and adapting of the modern day martial arts. With its roots based in kendo and jujutsu, Aikido is well versed as an art and means for self defense. The techniques within the art are both subtle and dynamic – each lending a hand in creating an axis of power exclusive to Aikido. Volume I: Movement Volume II: Connection Volume III: Control. Item DPP15 / $55.00

Certain Victory - Book on CD 9 CD audio book version of original Certain Victory with bonus DVD Item BPP27 / $29.95

The Perfect Storm - A Woman in Aikido Aikido, the art of harmony, is a perfect blend of elegance and power. Rooted in fundamental and natural movements, Aikido defines itself as an art designed for a lifetime of journey and discovery. the techniques within the art are both subtle and dynamic - each lending a hand in creating an axis of power exclusive to Aikido Run time approx 30 minutes Item DPP10 / $21.99

The Official Filmed Documentary Certian Victory The official filmed documentary on the life of Chief Master Robert J. Ott with footage taking you through the journey that lives and breathes Pil-Sung! Item DPP16 / $19.95

Featured Books The Book of Teaching &Learning TaeKwonDo

Taekwondo: Korean Traditional Martial Arts: Philosophy & Culture

12 chapter book details how TKD was introduced as an Olympic sport and the tasks facing TKD people to maintain its Olympic status after the 2012 London Olympic Games. Also with 68 pages of poomsae diagrams.448 pages, Hardcover. Item B041 / $59.99

Grandmaster Kyong Myong Lee, a certified WTF ninth-dan, writes this 300-page, full color, coffeetable sized book offering a panoramic overview of TKD. Item B034 / $39.99 Now $15.99!

Taekwon-Do: The Korean Art of SelfDefense A well-condensed version of General Choi’s Encyclopedia, the book, also by Gen. Choi, is 765 pages and focuses on self-defense aspects of Taekwon-Do plus its history. Additional postage required. Hardcover. Item B015 / $99.00 Reduced to $69.99

WTF Taekwondo Textbook This 766-page Kukkiwon textbook is a compilation of all available updated data regarding TKD and focuses on the scientific analysis of theories as well as the threedimensional illustrations of major physical motions. Additional postage required. Item B039 / $74.99

Eastern Spirit, Western Dreams This 226-page memoir captures the true hardships and joys of a small town, South Korean farm boy, TKDT Publisher Woojin Jung, who lives out his American dream. Item B038A (English) / $14.00 Item B038B (Korean) / $14.00

Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do This one of a kind encyclopedia by Gen. Choi Hong Hi has 15 volumes consisting of 5000 pages with 30,000 photos. The encyclopedia is the culmination of General Choi’s lifelong research into TKD’s history and development. Hardcover English Version. Additional postage required. ORDER NOW, LIMITED SUPPLY! Item B014 / $275.00

Taekwondo Kyorugi: Olympic Style Sparring Learn sparring secrets of Olympic Gold Medalist and four-time World Champion Kuk Hyun Chung, WTF Deputy GeneralSecretary Kyung Myung Lee, and translator and editor Sang H. Kim. Item B027 / $12.95 Now $2.99!

Best Instructor + Best School = Best Life! This 329-page book written by Grandmaster Woojin Jung is a must-have for school owners, instructors and students with a dream. Not only a helpful guide for new students to find the best instructor possible, this book is also a guide for new and established instructors and school owners on how to successfully manage and maintain a martial arts business. Item B030 / $25.00 Reduced to $19.00!

Best Instructor + Best School = Best Life! (Korean Version) Item B045 / $25.00 Now $20.00

Order online at taekwondotimes.com or call toll free: 1-800-388-5966

Featured Books Authentic Tang Soo Do By Chun Sik Kim and Joe Goss Learn about authentic Tang Soo Do (Korean Karate) from internationally known and respected authority, Grandmaster Chun Sik Kim. Grandmaster Kim is known for his dynamic technique, as well as his knowledge of Tang Soo Do. This book will make it possible for you to benefit from his instruction. Item B035 / $124.95

Stretching Scientifically Attain maximum height in your kicks with no warm-up! Stretch safely and quickly to achieve and maintain maximum flexibility. Develop each of the three kinds of flexibility: dynamic, static active and static passive.214 pages. Softcover. Item BPP02 / $25.99

Explosive Power and Jumping Ability for all Sports How well you jump and how powerfully you punch, pull, or throw depends on your explosive power, on your special endurance for explosive movements, and on your speed, coordination, and flexibility. This book tells you how to develop each of these abilities. 138 pages. Softcover. Item BPP03 / $23.95

Science of Sports Training This book uses the sports training know-how of internationally known training specialists to improve your speed, strength, power, endurance, coordination, and flexibility, as well as technical and tactical skills, while avoiding overtraining and injuries. 424 pages. Softcover. Item BPP05 / $39.95

Children and Sports Training The needs of boys and girls in sports training are dramatically different. Learn how to match the right sport with the right child, the right training program for the age and gender of the child. Learn the “sensitive ages” for development of movement abilities (endurance, coordination, speed, strength, flexibility). 250 pages. Softcover. Item BPP04 / $29.95

The Will Power This complete martial arts book by Maurice Elmalem has over 700 photos, illustrations and instructions, plus special training drills for fighting, endurance, speed and power. Learn breaking, self-defense, fighting applications, and how to become the best of the best. Paperback Item BPP06p / $29.99 Hardcover Item BPP06h / $34.99

Breaking Unlimited Breaking Unlimited by Maurice Elmalem is the only book written solely on the art of breaking. It features step-by-step instructions on how to break wood, glass, bricks, ice, cinder blocks, and more, in many different ways. Paperback Item BPP07 / $29.99

JKD Without Limits Discussing the martial art founded by legendary Bruce Lee, Jeet Kune Do, the book contains: lessons from the ring, sparring, Bruce Lee’s ﬁve ways of attacking, and ﬁrearms training for martial artists. Paperback Item BPP10 / $29.99

Fighting Dynamics This explosive book by Maurice Elmalem covers all aspects of ﬁghting with over 1000 photos, various ﬁghting styles of martial arts demonstrated by movie stars, historians, celebrities and grandmasters. Paperback Item BPP08 / $29.99

Taekwondo: Building on the Basics Perfect your Taekwondo skills at every level! Written by experienced instructors and authors, this book expands fundamentals, improves sparring, oﬀers advanced leg and hand techniques, teaches realistic self-defense methods, and unlocks the potentials of the mind using meditation. 260 pages. Item BPP11 / $18.95

Meditation from Thought to Action with Audio CD Learn meditation with these easyto-follow exercises and methods. Learn the roots of Yoga, Buddhism, Zen, Confucianism, and Daoism. Learn mental and body tools to begin meditating and clear the mind. The CD teaches the skills from the book and guides listeners into a deep meditative state. Item BPP12 / $18.95

Zen Around the World: A 2500 Year Journey from the Buddha to You The entire story of Zen. Martial artists will find inspiration along with instruction in traditional and innovative Zen meditation methods to help sharpen mental skills to add more focus, accuracy, speed, and power in every technique. 242 pages. Item BPP13 / $15.50

Chung Do Kwan: The Power of Tae Kwon Do The book offers the history and philosophy of Tae Kwon Do. With illustrations, this book presents Chung Do Kwan Tae Kwon Do with clear and easy to follow instructions. 164 pages. Item BPP14 / $15.50

Simple Zen: A Guide to Living Moment by Moment Zen is a dynamic way to enhance living and improve martial arts practice. Easy to follow exercises are given for practice of meditation with poetry, brush painting, martial arts, and more. 158 pages. Item BPP15 / $12.95

Simple Confucianism This book offers a clear and concise guide to the history, key concepts, and principles of Confucianism including benevolence, central harmony, the mean, and becoming a sage.140 pages. Item BPP16 / $12.95

Simple Buddhism: A Guide to Enlightened Living An accessible guide to Buddhist concepts and practices including Mahayana and Theravada traditions. This book gives history, themes, and exercises including key mental practices such as the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. 133 pages. Item BPP17 / $12.95

Simple Taoism: A Guide to Living in Balance A clear explanation of Taoism with simple exercises in meditation, breathing, chi kung, and tai chi chuan. An informative discussion of key Taoist concepts including “wu-wei” (achieving through non-action),“yin” and “yang”, and “te” (power and virtue). 177 pages. Item BPP18 / $12.95

Taekwon-Do and I ( Volumes 1&2) The memoirs of Choi Hong-Hi, the founder of Taekwon-Do. Volume One; Motherland; the land in turmoil. Volume Two; The Vision of Exile: any Place under Heaven is Do-Jang Item B043 / $79.99 Now $39.99!

Simple Tibetan Buddhism: A Guide to Tantric Living A concise introduction to the unique history and traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, a philosophy that integrates ritual with practice. With simple exercies for incorporating visualization, diety yoga, mandalas, mantras and the esoteric, effective tantric methods, this book opens up new possibilities.144 pages. Item BPP19 / $12.95

Tao in Ten, Easy Lessons for Spiritual Growth This book presents fundamental teachings from Taoism in ten easy lessons with a brief history.Each of the ten lessons gives experiences and understandings of a key Taoist principle, revealing the infinite potentials for better living at One with Tao. 158 pages. Item BPP20 / $12.95

Featured Books Zen in Ten, Easy Lessons for Spiritual Growth This book begins with a brief history to reveal Zen’s development and evolution through the ages. The ten lessons give fundamental principles and significant understandings of Zen. 152 pages. Item BPP21 / $12.95

How Akido Changed the World Aikido, as a martial art, embraces both the physical aspects of enhancement as well as the spiritual growth of the individual. Each practitioner discovers and journeys their own unique path gaining a new perspective of the world around them and of themselves. How Aikido Can Change the World is a road map of that journey of discovery. This book discusses Aikido beyond the

physical aspects. While Aikido is a physical martial way, its philosophies and peripherals carry over far into a practitioner’s world if proper focus and realization are maintained. The author conveys his expedition of the art gained through personal experience, exploration and integration. Item BPP23 / $19.99

Chi Gong Medicine From God Lose weight with a seaweed diet. Prevent altitude and divers sickness, and many other advantages of Chi.Item B042 / $19.95

ways to apply Buddhism to many areas of life.152 pages. Item BPP22 / $12.95

Korean Martial Art: The Conquer of America By Ho Sung Lee.The story of the history of Tae Kwon Do in the United States and the Korean pioneers who brought the art to America. 344 pages. Only available in Korean.Item B040 / $19.99

Buddhism in Ten, Easy Lessons for Spiritual Growth The Ten lessons contain fun damental principles of Buddhism along with clear and effective

Featured Training Products & Novelties Jang Bong Sul (Long Pole) This three-section staﬀ easily screws together to form the six-foot long bong that has been a part of Korean martial history for over 4,000 years. Constructed with a durable core surrounded by a wood-simulated padded covering that will cushion strikes and blows. Item K008 / $29.95

BOB Training Partner He’s the perfect sparring partner! Practice your techniques and accuracy on this life-like mannequin. Fits on a sand or water filled base, which is included. BOB is made of a high strength plastisol with an inner cavity filled with a durable urethane foam. Weighs 270 lbs. when filled. Made in the USA. One year limited warranty. BOB Item NPP03 / $329.99 Now $280.00 * You Save $50.00 BOB XL Item NPP04 / $399.99 Now $340.99* You Save $60.00 *$10 off S&H if ordered by September 30th, 2009

HapkidoGear Shoe This shoe uses existing RingStar technology with Hapkido specific refinements to create the first shoe born for Hapkido. HapkidoGear shoes are specifically designed for both training and sparring. The unique materials used in this make it the lightest, most comfortable and protective shoe available. Item NPP01 / $82.99

HapkidoGear Cane The New Tactical Cane from HapkidoGear is designed to be the perfect training aid in the Dojang and to meet the requirements of real world usage. Using high tech aluminum alloy and durable powder coating in it’s construction along with sure grip knurling on the shaft, this cane is the most highly developed and versatile available today. Item NPP02 / $75.00

Adidas Adikee TKD Shoes

Adidas Open/ Cross-over Uniform

Ever-popular SM-2 design with a twist of stitch pattern for the upper; available in white with black stripes (ASEB) or white with red & blue stripes (ASEW); sizes #2.5, 4 -13. ItemNPP13 / $49.95

Features cross-over open style jacket made with corduroy material; available in black or white; sizes #2 - 8; Item NPP12 / $69.95

GTMA Taebaek Uniform Textured special fabric w/ embossed GTMA Tiger logo; 3 tone stripes on shoulders and top of pants legs; Martial Arts symbol and GTMA patch; GTMA logo embroidered on back of neck and left wrist area; White unif. w/ Black V-neck only; sizes #000 - 8. Item NPP14 / $70.00

For these products and more visit us online at taekwondotimes.com

GTMA Legend Competition Uniform Lightest uniform we ever made; Designed for top competitors using special dry fit material which is lightest material available; Retains crisp form and bright color and dries moisture quicker; Features GTMA chest patch, 2 color GTMA embroidery logo on right chest, back of the neck and right pants; woven LEGEND patch on sleeve and pants leg, P.U. GT LEGEND emblem on shoulder and GTMA embroidery on tail; Also features inside pants pocket for mouthguards, wallet, coins and etc.; Available in v-neck black or white neck; sizes #000 - 8. Item NPP15 / $125.00

Closeout Success and the Creative Imagination: The Unique Power of Do Sang Kyu Shim’s book provides a rich model of the way one can bring diversity of expression to the unity of understanding and fulfillment. Item B026 / $7.99

Tae Kwon Do, Volume I Vol. 1 contains all of Poomsae (forms), Taeguek 1-8 and Palgwe 1-8, required to earn a black belt from the WTF. Item B003 / Vol. 1 / $15.00 Reduced to $2.99!