Congratulations to our students who successfully tested at Oneonta Taekwon-Do last week.  The test featured demonstrations by Lori and Ben, Jake and Guaire, Kent and Finn, and Cael.

Please see their individual posts for videos or visit our YouTube channel to browse our entire archive.

Congratulations to soccer star Cael “McLegs” McCabe on earning his first black stripe.

After demonstrating red belt level kicking techniques with legs made like rubber bamboo,

and Hwa-Rang,

he broke 2 boards with each leg using back kicks.

Finally, he sparred with his cousin Finn.

We hope Cael has a successful fall soccer season and look forward to his return to the black belt path in winter.

Kent made his first appearance at a promotion test in Oneonta. He demonstrated Dan-Gun and basic techniques along with step sparring before finally breaking a board with a rear leg side kick.

Congratulations to Phineas Brown Collins on earning his blue belt. Blue belt signifies “the plant reaching up to the sky”, indicative of Finn’s strength and power. His precise movements in Yul-Gok are indicative of his dedicated practice and we are proud of his growth and successes.

It was fortunate that Finn could spar with his cousin Cael who earned his first black stripe:

The smooth and graceful movements of Guaire are nicely complemented by the intense powerful force of Jake as they earn their green stripes.
Congratulations to both boys on their fine achievement.

Congratulations to Lori and Ben for earning their yellow belts.  They performed very well, especially in their ability to stay synchronized during Chon-Ji.

Neither has practiced martial arts before and have worked very hard to earn their rank.  We are very proud of their commitment and determination.

Happy Birthday!

Aug 2 – Kent Heidenreich
Aug 3 – Nick Perez

Next promotion test

Our next test is scheduled for Thursday August 26th at 6pm.  Both adults and children will test and we will enjoy some pizza and beverages afterward.  Please be sure to complete your test form and give a check or cash for your test fee to a black belt prior to the day of testing.

Openings for 2 adults and 2 children

If you have friends or family who are…

Board Breaking Tips

One of the things I love most about Taekwon-Do practitioners is their unique openness to trying new things despite potential failures. Not the least of which is our exposure when demonstrating a board break at a test.

Everyone wants to break on the first attempt (including the holders!) All eyes are upon you as you stand there staring at those boards knowing you just have to hit it hard in the center, but knowing there is the risk for failure. Missing on…

Master Paul Hoppe has been a teacher and respected senior of mine since the late 1990s.  His flawless technique and effortless sparring skill cannot be mistaken for anything other than countless hours of practice and disciplined mental training.

Recently, he completed a 28-day Grindathon, during which he played poker, then recorded a Hand of the Day video and a video blog every day. He made $30,000 in profits and raised $3,000 for cancer and autism charities.

Although I know nothing about poker or Texas…

Congratulations to Mary Manzanero and Dylan Windsor! On July 22nd Mary earned her green stripe while Dylan earned his blue stripe. Each had to perform their respective patterns (Mary had to perform Dan-Gun, while Dylan had to perform Won-Hyo), perform their self defense, and do their respective board breaks. Congratulations to you both!

Congratulations to our yellow belts for earning their first green stripe! On the 22nd of July Addison Harmon, Jaden Davis, Alex Mannion, Christina Mannion earned their first green stripe. They each performed Dan-Gun, had to break a board with a rear leg side kick and perform the self-defense techniques they had learned in class. Congratulations are in order for Devyn Servo who earned his Yellow Belt at the same test. Congratulations to all of you!