Congratulations to all students on your recent testing.  We have a few things to correct but overall the testing was good.  It was a large testing and we hope you all enjoyed watching the black belt testing and the promotion dinner.       

Promotion Dinner

     We would like to thank Mrs. Shultze and Mr. Randolph for planning the promotion dinner.  We also would like to thank all the students and their parents for attending.  This event was a success due to the overwhelming participation.  These dinners are an excellent way to celebrate your promotions and welcome students into the black belt rank ranks.  It also helps develop the sense of a Taekwon-Do class or family atmosphere which is important for us.

Testing

     Please mark you calendars for May 2005 as our next testing.  We will evaluate every student for promotion prior to this time.  Our goal is to produce technically proficient students and with hard work they can be ready on this schedule.  We have Saturday class from 12-2pm which can be used to make up any missed classes or for additional training.  We should be testing Mr Hock for II Degree, Mr. Bennett and Mr. Gieringer for I Degree during this testing.

New Web Site

     We should have our new web site running after the first week of March.  The new web address will be http://www.axetkd.com. We will be providing email address for students as they reach black belt.  Example:  rtodd@axetkd.com or kbushor@axetkd.com.  Check our current site to see when the change is made.  Currently we are located at:  http://members.cox.net/ustfneb

Upcoming Events

     We are trying to participate in local tournaments for any students that would like to enjoy competition.  Usually these events feature patterns and sparring.  All students are matched by age and rank divisions.  Mr. Todd and Mr. Bushor will ensure the tournaments are safe and students are properly prepared prior to allowing them to participate in these events.  There will also be a couple tournaments in Missouri and a late summer camp.  We will announce these events when we have more information.  Last year a few students attended and we hope to increase these numbers this year.  We will provide transportation for students when the parents will not be attending.  Stay tuned.

Goals (By Ricky J. Todd, 6th Dan)

     What was your goal when you started Taekwon-Do?  What are your goals now?  Have you ever thought about your goals?  Some students start Taekwon-Do class because their parents think it is a good idea, others start because of friends and unfortunately some start because they are “forced” into it for the discipline.  The students that are forced usually do not stay very long. 

     Did you have a goal to just “check it out”?  Did you start with short term goals such as just checking it out or because your friend is in class?  Usually these students do not stay very long either.  If you have stayed in class past yellow or green belt something else is causing you to stay in the class.  Is it still fun?

     Some people outside of the class wonder what is fun about Taekwon-Do?  You are working hard, someone is correcting you constantly, making you perform pushups and telling you not to talk, how can this be fun?  You probably have discovered by now that the fun is challenging yourself to become better.  Maybe you want to have a better side piercing kick or a more powerful punch.  You may look forward to breaking boards or performing flying kicks, something keeps you interested. 

     Have you ever thought of these things?  This is something you should think about, what keeps you in Taekwon-Do?  If you always wanted to be a black belt or if that is your goal now, that is okay.  However you will find when you attain your black belt you will want to learn more.  Remember when you first started how difficult it was to walk forward in a walking stance and perform a middle punch?  Timing your feet, hands and breath into a single movement seemed impossible.  After you could perform this it was on to the next technique.  You may have thought how will you ever be able to perform a side piercing kick correctly? 

     Practice, all techniques take constant practice.  This is really the secret to becoming a good Taekwon-Do students or martial artist.  If you want to be really good you have to put in your time to perfect all techniques.  You also have to train both mentally as well as physically.  Make sure you know everything about your new technique.  An example would be side piercing kick.  How do you chamber your leg?  What are the levels for the kicks?  What is the proper part of the foot to kick with?  Is the supporting leg bent or straight?  What angle should the bottom foot be at when executing the kick?  What angle should the kicking foot be at when striking an object?  Where are my target areas to kick?  Why do you throw a high punch with a side piercing kick?  Are there primary and secondary targets to strike?  Are there primary and secondary parts of the foot to kick with?  There are many other points to consider but these are a few questions that you should be asking yourself about each technique and if you do not know the answers ask one of the black belts.

    This is the reason techniques are taught individually to each level.  Yellow belts must concentrate on their techniques only and not worry about learning the green stripe or green belt techniques.  It is frustrating when teaching a new technique to a student only to later see them trying techniques that are above there level.  Be patient and master your technique, not just getting down “good enough”.  If you really try hard at each rank you will be able to perfect your technique and move to the next belt rank. 

     Suddenly you will find yourself preparing for black belt.  Some students feel when they attain black belt they have mastered Taekwon-Do.  They are really missing out on the art.  When you attain your 1st degree black belt you basically have a good understanding of all basic techniques.  Then you can really start focusing on the art and mastering the difficult black belt techniques.  Each time you are promoted from yellow belt to green stripe and higher you are challenged with new techniques to master.  The same cycle repeats when you make 1st degree black belt, there are new techniques that you must master prior to 2nd degree.  The learning and challenges never stop.

     We do not ask for students to dedicate their entire life to Taekwon-Do but we do require during the time you are in class or trying to go through the ranks that you try very hard.  You will get out of the class exactly what you put into it.  If you miss classes your technique will show this and you will not be as good as you could be with consistent training.  You can not really work out on your own as you will not catch or correct your techniques that are incorrect, this is okay to supplement your training but you need a qualified instructor to watch over your progression.  You can enjoy the fact that both Mr. Bushor and I have struggled through each rank and learned many lessons that can be shared and in the end produce better results.

     The drop out rate is very high in the martial arts, I challenge each student to learn as much as possible about Taekwon-Do and try to perfect your technique at each belt rank.