McMinnville Taekwondo

Second Dan hyung Gae Baek performed by Fifth Dan Master April Carothers 00000

One day I noticed a comment on one of our videos which asked, “Where’s the sine wave?” I had no idea what the person was talking about. Recently, I stumbled across a video of General Choi demonstrating the sine wave technique, and my question was partially answered. I felt it would be beneficial for our students to know what this movement is, what its driving philosophy is, and why we don’t practice it. According to a few different sources, in the 1980’s General Choi introduced the sine wave movement, a slight up-down-up motion as one steps or throws a technique. The official ITF site, www.tkd-itf.org , states that the sine wave can be executed in two phases: Phase 1: Relaxing arms, legs, and shoulders to recover your energy after the previous movement. Phase 2: Increase both external and internal energy with the hip motion (gain mass) and the acceleration from the top of the wave, in combination with exhaling at the impact of the movement. Grandmaster Hong Sik Kim,...

A tribute on youtube to General Choi Hong Hi, the man who is credited with developing Taekwondo and the forms we practice: a glimpse into the history of our martial art. General Choi came to stay at one time with Grandmaster Kim here in the U.S. Master Kim got up before dawn to begin working out before General Choi woke, only to find the General already well into his own work-out.

Currently we are not holding classes. If you are interested, you can stay up to date through email or our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KimsTaekwondoMcMinnville

Click HERE for an excellent video on how to tie your belt. The only thing I would add is that when you place the belt against your belly, your rank should be on the end of the belt to your left, so that when tied, your rank is on the right side of the belt.

We are having trouble getting instructors for classes on Monday nights, six to 7:30 pm. If you would like to attend class on that night, let us know, and we will try to accommodate you.

People who have never studied martial arts often ask what a student does after s/he achieves a black belt? Getting a black belt is the ultimate martial arts achievement... isn't it? Since we recently had two students promote to black belt, which takes a minimum three years of hard work and dedication, this would be a good time to share General Choi Hong Hi's words in regard to what it means to have achieved first degree black belt: Significance of first degree   First degree—expert or novice? One of the greatest misconceptions within the martial arts is the notion that all black belt holders are experts. It is understandable that those unacquainted with the martial arts might make this equation. However, students should certainly recognize that this is not always the case. Too often, novice black belt holders advertise themselves as experts and eventually even convince themselves. The first degree black belt holder has usually learned enough technique to defend himsel...

Here is a fascinating article on "The Physics of Karate."

Saturday, April 17th. The walk started at Pioneer Courthouse Square, went down to the waterfront, along the river, across, and back. The weather was beautiful, the cause was to raise money for MS research, and the company was excellent. We used to do the MS walk each year in Forest Grove, in honor of our classmate Kathy, who has Multiple Sclerosis. This year, Ed and I decided to get back into the habit and joined the Masters Tesdal and various other Kim's Taekwondo schools and do the Portland walk. Next year, we'll work harder at inviting our students to join us, in honor of another close friend who has MS.

Exciting news! Master Carothers has been featured in the May, 2010 issue of Tae Kwon Do Times magazine. Current subscribers report already receiving it in their mailboxes, so look for it in stores!

More pictures on the slideshow (look in panel on right) and on facebook: Kim's Taekwondo Hong Sik Kim Dojang.

These videos are posted in order for students to observe their performances and to share with family and friends who couldn't make it to the tournament. Great job people! We really enjoyed watching all the teams compete.

Just a few pictures from the tourney in Vernonia.

Coming up: Vernonia Tournament! We and the Forest Grove Dojang are hosting the next tournament February 20, in Vernonia, Oregon. Don't miss this one. All proceeds will go to the Vernonia School District, which is still trying to recover from devastating flooding. Click here for a larger image of poster. If you are a new student, we highly recommend that you at least go and watch. Participation in a tournament is an excellent way to meet new friends, get contact with the students and black belts from other Kim's schools, to hone your skills in a competition environment, and to find out that there is no limit to your courage. When: Feb. 20, 2010, starts at noon. Where: Vernonia High School, Vernonia, OR 97064 Directions: try google maps , or simply take Highway 47 north to Vernonia. The highway passes through Banks, joins Hwy 26 for a few miles, then diverts north at Staley's Junction. Follow Hwy 47 for about fifteen miles after the junction. As you come into town,...

A safe work out includes warming up before any serious activity. We do warming up exercises as part of class, but these are meant to follow a slower, more careful warm-up, so I encourage students to move and stretch before class starts. It is vitally important that students (and teachers) warm up carefully and don’t just dive into class unprepared. If you warn muscles as to what you want them to do, they respond a lot better… and you avoid pulls and strains. Also, warming up gets your heart ready for exercise. At the bottom, I included a couple of hot links to articles on stretching. These offer visuals and more detail than I included here. First: Warm Up Studies have shown that muscles need warmed up (literally, raising the temperature of your body) before you put harsher demands on them. The best way to start warming up is to walk or jog slowly around for a few minutes. Once you’re warm, start at the top: move your neck gently and slowly, back and forth (stretch out your chin...

This is the kind of perfection of skill that we are striving for! Get inspired!