New Students!!-

Welcome to Axe Taekwon-Do!  Information about the school, Master Todd, and other instructors can be found on the Axe TKD website and on Facebook.  We encourage you to take a moment and check those sites out!  Pictures and information regarding class will be posted on those sites throughout the year.  Black belts please welcome our new students to class!

Future Events-

We have several events coming up that we hope you make room in your schedule and budget to attend. Axe TKD only participates in sanctioned USTF events which follow strict guidelines to ensure the safety of all. 

Axe TKD tournament-

The Axe tournament is quickly approaching! Are you ready?  The tournament will be held at the Youth Center on Saturday, May 18^th.  We will begin promptly at 10 AM and should finish around 6PM at the latest.  All students are requested to attend and in most cases compete in all events for only $30.  There will be divisions for all ranks and ages in patterns and sparring.  Those students who are older than sixteen may participate in the breaking competition.  Teams may form to compete against other schools in team patterns.  Some groups are already working toward perfection!  This year’s tournament is extra special as we are privileged to have Grand Master Sereff, the highest ranking female in the USTF, attend our event.  Competitors from Missouri, Kansas, Wyoming, and Colorado are expected to attend also.  This is definitely an opportunity to safely test the skills  you have acquired in class while showing support to your fellow classmates. We do require advance registration by May 9^th.  Registration at the door will be an additional $10.00 so get registered early.  Forms will be posted on the website. While hesitant to say attendance is mandatory, Master Todd would like to see 100% participation.  Please ask if you have any questions or need further encouragement!

Next Promotion Testing-

Master Todd will conduct the next testing at the Youth Center on Saturday, June 1^st.  Promotion testing will begin at 1230 and should end by 4pm.  Those who are eligible to test will be closely observed to determine if they will be permitted to test.  Mr. Bushor will pass out testing forms to those who are ready!  Remember:  although class is two times a week, students are encouraged to practice what they have learned outside of class in order to progress quickly.  Those who do the minimum may take longer to test than normal testing cycle. 

***USTF headquarters National Tournament-

Senior Grand Master Sereff will be hosting all USTF students to compete in the USTF National Championship.  We will be traveling to Broomfield, Colorado June 22nd and 23rd. This will be the largest tournament our class will have the opportunity to attend. There will be students from all over the nation, and it's a two day event.  Whether you compete or watch it’s an experience you won’t forget! The USTF will ensure it is a safe and coordinated event for all.  There will be patterns and sparring for all, and breaking for black belts, 16 years old or older.  More specifics on the tournament are outlined at www.axetkd.com.   All Axe students will pre-register. The pre-registration form and payment must be in by May 18^th 2013.  For your planning and decision making, we will hit the road early that Friday morning in order to be there for the weigh in. We will return sometime late Monday. We understand that we have a lot going on this year in class, and that June is still some time away.  We will be making hotel arrangements soon.  The number of people attending makes a difference on the cost.  Please let Mrs. Ragone know if you will or will not be attending by May 9th.  We want to give total expense figures as soon as possible and confirm room arrangements. 

USTF Class C Instructor Course (by Master Todd)

The instructor course was held April 6^th & 7^th and taught by Grand Master Winegar, the USTF Director of Technique in Casper, Wyoming.  We had a great group of students that attended.  Everyone came away motivated and full of knowledge.  Remember if you have questions after the course, look in your notes and study materials.  If you still have questions please ask Ms. Bowing or Mr. Bushor for clarification, don’t rely on each other.  If Ms. Bowing or Mr. Bushor require clarification they will discuss with me.  I will announce the results of the written test soon.

 “Why Taekwon Do, Why Axe TKD and What am I getting out of it?” (written by Mrs. Ragone, III Dan)

Seven years ago, I signed my oldest son up for Taekwon Do with Axe TKD.  He had been bullied by schoolmates since he was in Kindergarten.  I wanted to protect him but knew that he needed to learn to stand up for himself as I would not always be there when he needed help.  Initially, it was the low cost and no contract that attracted us to Axe, but I can say now that Axe TKD has so much more to offer. 

Besides the bumps and bruises, beyond the patterns and the kicks, there is a mental strength that all of us gain. Some students will grow from young bullied children into confident teenagers who can walk with pride, and for some it will be pushing their bodies beyond what they ever thought possible.  Others will learn to control their bodies from fidgeting or their mouths from talking too much.  For each student, it is a different journey.  There have been times, after a failed attempt to break a board or a ho sin sul throw that leaves a bruise that I have asked myself, “Why do I do this?”  I have considered quitting and giving up, giving in to the fear.  It is that mental strength, the perseverance, the indomitable spirit that pushed me through those times.  I remember that Taekwon Do is not a leisure sport or a recreational activity.  As Master Todd says, “This isn’t ballet.” 

Taekwon Do is a serious martial art designed to build our spirits in order to fight against an attacker.  When we walk through the doors of the do jang, students need to keep in mind that they will only get out class what they put into it.  They need to mentally prepare themselves for hard work and challenge.  There is no giving up, no quitting.  Whether working with an instructor or off to the side, push yourself.  Go over your pattern again, but fix something!  Make it better than it was the first time.  If you step up to the board holder, believe that you can break it.  See it happen in your mind and give it your all.  Strengthen your body by doing one more push up; stretch it beyond where you did the previous week.  While we have fun in class, remember the purpose and why we do this.  The goal is to be better prepared for the “what ifs” and to be mentally prepared to overcome the challenges that life brings.  Please encourage your son, daughter or yourself to stick with it!  There is a personal pay off every step along the way for every student.

“Why are we here? (written by Mr. Araujo, T., II Dan)

Many people involved in Axe, and most likely other schools as well, go about their Taekwon-Do careers with the mindset, “Learn these moves of this pattern today. Practice this kick today. Break this many boards with this technique today”. And in all honesty, there’s nothing wrong with that, as long as you only see Taekwon-Do as a martial art. However, if you want to take Taekwon-Do as everything it could be, make friends, and make it a really big part of your life, I believe at some point you should ask yourself the question, “What’s being in Taekwon-Do really about?”

There are many things one learns throughout their Taekwon-Do careers, like respect for instance, and while the practice of snapping to attention and bowing whenever your seniors are around will certainly help you, I don’t believe that’s all Taekwon-Do is meant to be, I feel the answer to the above question lies in the tenants of Taekwon-Do: Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control, and Indomitable Spirit. I believe the formula for progressing in Taekwon-Do was built around memorizing these tenets, yet I see people in class simply memorizing them and repeating them when asked, rather than pondering how to use them both in and out of the Dojang. As a disclaimer, I’m not claiming to be less guilty of any shortcomings in this regard than anyone else, but I felt like it might be good for someone to just come right out and say it, hypocrite or not.

To incorporate the tenants into your life through Taekwon-Do is what I believe a student’s goal should be above all else. It’s really just a matter of perspective. Learning difficult patterns like Juche not as mundane memorization, but as you perserve through an obstacle and take steps to ensure that you learn not just the pattern, but that virtue of perseverance as well.

Sparring is easily the most anticipated class activity, not just for hitting your opponent with as many techniques as possible, but you should take the time to think about, “This person’s a lot younger than me. I should maybe hold back a little”. If someone is outmatched, rather than depend on such leniency from bigger opponents, they should always remember not to run, and to fight to the end, and to absorb the value of having an indomitable spirit from that lesson.

To me however, what really takes the cake in terms of being overlooked in Taekwon-Do is ironically the tenant that comes first; Courtesy. And I’m not talking about respect here, but just common human courtesy. What I’m trying to get at is that the formalities people owe to their superiors in Taekwon-Do can be exploited to no end by those who attain higher rank, and those people should, by the principle of common human courtesy, be friendly in return.

All in all, the world is full of people who throw their weight around, give up on anything that requires work, and lie. Shouldn’t we, as part of group that uses such virtues as its tenants, try to be better than such people? Answer that question yourself, and be truthful in your answer, but remember this: those tenants are why we’re here.