Ready, Set, Goal!
Posted by admin in Black Belt, Taekwondo on November 11th, 2009
It’s important to keep setting goals once you get your black belt, but sometimes it’s hard to come up with one. Here are some suggestions to keep you focused on your training. -Attend every regional (or national) event next year. -Test for instructor. One-steps are hardest for most people so focus on learning one belt’s worth every two weeks. -Attend 25 classes every testing cycle (that’s 300 for the year). -Work your way up to doing 100 push-ups without taking a break. -Pick out an impressive board break at the next demonstration you see and learn how to do it. -Re-learn all the old forms. -Learn the meanings of all the forms. -Start jumping rope. Work your way up to ten minutes a day. -Travel to a nearby school and train once every two weeks. You’ll be amazed the difference it will make! These are just a few ideas to help get you started. If you still need help setting a goal ask your instructor.
Time to be Thankful
The holidays are a time to be thankful. Unfortunately they are also a time to gain weight. The average American gains almost 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Everywhere we go everything is about food and there never seems to be enough time to squeeze in a quick workout. This year, redefine what the holiday season means and make it about spending time together as a family. Here are some suggestions to help get you moving without sacrificing quality time.
-Take a Taekwondo class! A number of schools will offer a holiday special that makes it affordable for you to try martial arts as a family. You can even burn up to 800 calories in one hour-long taekwondo class!
-Instead of watching football start a game up on Thanksgiving. That extra movement will make dinner taste even more delicious.
-On a tight budget this year? Volunteer your time as a family working at a local charity instead of making a donation in someone’s name.
-Offer to walk a neighbor’s dog when they’re out of town, or see if you can foster a dog through your local SPCA so they don’t have to spend the holidays in a kennel!
-Skip the fake tree this year and find a local tree farm where you can walk around and pick out your own (or get a second tree).
-How many benefits have you and your children gotten from taekwondo? Give that same gift to someone else instead of a video game.
Keeping active will certainly help, but make sure you watch your portion sizes too. Check back soon for our next blogpost on what to eat during the holidays!
Halloween Health Kick
The per capita consumption of candy in America is over 23 pounds annually. With Halloween right around the corner we are constantly being “offered” candy, so how do you make the best choices?
-Choose hard or sour candy – often they are fat free.
-Read the labels! Compare fat percentage and look for candies that have some nutritional value such as chocolate covered raisins.
-Need something to satisfy a sweet tooth? Try dried fruit (without added sugar) or high fiber cookies.
-Moderation is key. Try fun sized candy and never use candy as a snack.
-Protect your teeth by avoiding sticky candy. It stays on your teeth longer. If you can’t brush right after eat something high in protein like cheese or jerky, which makes it harder for bacteria to survive.
-Eat a good meal before trick or treating. You’ll be less tempted to snack on candy while you walk.
-Let your kids choose no more than five pieces of candy a day. The candy will last longer and they won’t overindulge.
-
Halloween Safety Tips
With Halloween right around the corner, share these safety tips with your kids and their friends so they can have a happy and safe Halloween!
The Road to Instructor…
Begins with little steps! Make it a point to learn the white belt one-steps over the next two weeks and by the time testing rolls around you’ll be ready to go!
1. Step into Left front stance, Left High Block, Right reverse punch middle, step Left foot back, Right front kick
2. Step into Right Back stance, Right inner forearm block, Right backfist high, right #1 side kick
3. Left crescent kick block, Right side kick, step into Right back stance, Right knife hand strike high
4. Right front kick, step to Right, Left side kick, land in Left Back stance, Left hammerfist strike (sideways) high, shift to Left front stance, Right reverse punch middle
5. Left crescent kick block, Right front/side kick combination, land in Right back stance, Right backfist strike high, shift to Right front stance, Left reverse punch middle
Louder Than Words
Everyone has heard that a picture is worth 1,000 words. Well, an action is worth 1,000 pictures. Now that you’ve set a goal for your martial arts training, how do you reach it?
1) Attend class! You can’t become a black belt unless you go to class and train.
2) Be a role model to your fellow students. Instructors always notice the loudest kid in class, who moves the fastest, and who is the most focused and excited to be there. That enthusiasm rubs off and other students notice it as well.
3) Become a martial arts mentor. Take the time to help your fellow students with a difficult technique or remembering an old form.
4) Practice! It really does make perfect and help you master techniques.
5) Support all school functions. Tournaments, testings, special clinics, and camps are all great times to diversify your training. Make sure you take advantage of them.
6) Walk the talk. Memorize the Tenets and Student Oath and live them every day.
7) Be an ambassador for the martial arts. You’re probably getting all kinds of hidden and obvious benefits from your taekwondo training. Share those benefits with others and tell them where they can get them for themselves.
Learn the history of your school and taekwondo. Gaining a deeper understanding will help you in your training.
Taekwondo Helps Kick Breast Cancer
One of the first lessons your martial arts instructor will teach you is that taekwondo training mainly teaches you to prevent fighting. If, however, a negative situation is unavoidable your training will help you defend yourself. We teach that in the long run prevention is always a smarter option. Well, this same philosophy applies to other areas of your life too. In fact, research suggestions there may be a link between martial arts training and breast cancer prevention.
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month, a disease which touches a large number of people either through having the disease itself or watching friends and family members fight the disease. Well, according to Cornell University’s (CU) Medical College martial arts training helps aid in the prevention of breast cancer due to its holistic (mind and body) focus.
An article published by CU’s Weill Medical College indicates that yoga, meditation, tai chi, and other martial arts help reduce stress which suppresses the immune system. Research is actually showing that stress may increase your susceptibility to breast cancer. Yet another benefit to martial arts training – stress reduction and potentially preventing breast cancer. In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness month give these health benefits to someone you love and bring a friend to class!
15 Minute Chef
Posted by admin in Nutrition, Vegetarian on September 30th, 2009
Now that school is in full swing again it’s hard to find the time to juggle everything you have to do all day AND find time to make a tasty, nutritious dinner for your family. Next time you’re in a bind don’t reach for boxed mac and cheese – instead, make your own healthier version in less than 15 minutes!
Ingredients:
-2 boxes frozen broccoli with reduced fat cheese sauce
-4 ounces cream cheese
-4 cups cooked pasta (recommended: elbow macaroni or rotini)
Directions:
Microwave broccoli according to package directions. Empty boxes into a microwave safe bowl and stir in cream cheese. If needed, microwave mixture for 30-second increments to melt cream cheese until mixture is fully combined. Toss with pasta to coat.
Serve this as is or add chopped chicken if you desire.
Testing Tips for Junior Judges
Now that you are a black belt you are eligible to assist judging other students at testing. Here are some guidelines to help you effectively judge testing. First, a judge’s appearance is in important part of testing. All judges should be in a clean, full white uniform free from holes or stains. When at the table, judges should not appear distracted or bored. While judges must communicate with fellow judges, keep any discussion short, quite, and focused on the testing. At testing each judge will be assigned a “number” or station to watch. Be sure you know your assignment before the testing begins. Once the testing begins stay focused on your assignment. The other judges are counting on you to do your job. If you fail, a student may not get the fair consideration at testing he or she deserves. When the sparring begins, be prepared to jump out there and watch two people while they’re sparring. If you are centering a sparring match it is your job to make sure the students are not hitting each other too hard or making contact with illegal target areas. If they are, do not be afraid to stop them and let them know what they are doing wrong. At the end of the testing all the judges will go over the testing results for each student. Remember, Mr. and Mrs. Lacy have the final word in all decisions regarding whether a student passes or receives a no change. These decisions will be made based on subjective and objective elements. An objective element is whether or not a student does everything technically correct. Subjective elements are harder to judge, such as whether students have good technique or tried their hardest.
Seven Secrets of Highly Successful Martial Artists
Regardless of how old you are or what rank you have earned, most martial artists share a goal: to be the best they possibly can be. You may never be able to jump, flip upside down, and accurately kick your target like Jackie Chan, but taekwondo is an individual sport, which means the important thing is you try to do that best that YOU can do. Use these Seven Habits of Highly Successful Martial Artists to help you get there.
1) Be There – getting to class is important not only to continue your learning but to provide your body with the routine of physically and mentally participating in taekwondo (also known as muscle memory).
2) Practice – If you want to master a skill you have to work on it at home. Take 5 to 10 minutes during the day working on a particularly challenging technique and you’ll be surprised how quickly you “get it”.
3) Eat Right – Everyone has heard that “you are what you eat”. Your body is like a sports car: you have to put in top quality fuel to get the best results.
4) Stretch Daily – Flexibility isn’t necessary in taekwondo, but the more flexible you are the faster, more powerful, and more accurate your techniques will become. It doesn’t take much, just a few minutes during commercial breaks will help. Remember to never stretch to the point where it’s painful, but do push yourself just past what is comfortable and hold (*never* bounce).
5) Meditate/Visualize – You can even do this while you’re stretching. Close your eyes, relax, and slowly take several deep breaths while visualizing yourself mastering that challenging technique or doing the perfect form.
6) Teach – When it comes to studying anything, the learning order from least to most effective is to hear it, to read it, to write it down, and to teach it to someone else. Teaching something forms a stronger imprint of the information in your brain, so go help a struggling fellow student or just teach someone something you read in your Student Manual.
7) Set Goals – There is no way to stress exactly how important it is to have a goal, whether it be an upcoming tournament, future testing, mastering a technique, breaking boards, or getting your 7th Degree Black Belt. In fact, set several short and long-term goals. You don’t have to create a deadline, but periodically check in and make sure you’re making progress.