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.

Congratulations to Tyler and Terri on earning their stripes. This was Tyler’s second stripe and Terri’s first. Joong Gun is one of the most important patterns to learn and also one of the most confusing to learn.

Unfortunately, the camera shot of Terri breaking her boards with a back kick was obscured. Below is Tyler breaking 2 boards with a back kick and a video of Terri doing Joong Gun and Tyler doing Toi-Gye.

Congratulations to Tom and Chris on earning their 2nd red stripe. At this point, they are approximately one year from earning their black belts. They have both trained very diligently and very sincerely and we are proud of their accomplishments.

Below are videos of their board breaks and Toi-Gye

With an excellent board breaking display, all 4 of our red belts each broke 2 boards with each leg in a continuous manner. Taekwon-Do emphasizes equal training for left and right sides of the body for balanced results. This demonstration shows how effectively our students have practiced.

Kristian and Priscilla are on their way to black belt after passing the test for their first black stripe. They will now begin learning the final color belt pattern Choong Moo. For their test, they were required to demonstrate the ability to break with each leg equally by breaking two boards with a back kick. We are reminded that in Taekwon-Do, left and right must always be developed equally.

Full contact sparring is required for red belts during promotion tests. Here is the video of Kristian and Priscilla sparring. Note that more footage is available on the Oneonta Taekwon-Do YouTube channel.

Breaking 2 boards with a back kick requires a great deal of balance, coordination, speed, power, accuracy and self-confidence.

A 200 pound man breaking boards is one thing. What 13 year old Alex Lusins lacks in size, he makes up for in technique and determination.

With his long, strong soccer legs, Cael McCabe makes easy work of his boards.

 Matt Goodrich demonstrates the ability to perform several continuous kicks with great poise and technique…. front turning kick followed by back kick, skipping side kick followed by back kick followed by front turning kick, skipping front kick followed by skipping front turning kick followed by skipping side kick followed by skipping hook kick

Matt demonstrates board breaking and performs Hwa Rang at his interim Red belt test.

Owen breaks 2 boards with a back kick and 2 boards with a reverse punch when testing for red belt in August 2008.