McMinnville Taekwondo

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...