News, November 2020

Master Instruction at Affordable Prices

• Focus, fitness, self-control 
• Set and reach goals with new friends: all shapes and sizes welcome! 

The five tenets of Taekwondo— courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, indomitable spirit—teach students to follow a path that will lead to developing those qualities that help us reach our best potential.

If you stick with it, if you push through, face your fears, test your limits, you will find that Taekwondo has the power to change your life. It changed mine, and I see it change the lives of our students.

If you have an injury or another obstacle that has set you back, try talking with your instructors. They can offer guidance. Whatever goals you have set for yourself, don’t give up!

Martial Arts:  Trio of Life Skills

According to the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, martial arts offer the "trio of life skills": through the study of formal martial arts, students can be healthier physically, mentally, and socially. Body, Mind, Spirit. Read more: HERE

Two demonstrations by grand champions: Note that demonstration sparring is not the same as tournament sparring.

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Did you Know? By watching advanced martial artists, you can improve your own skill. Below: Aaron Gassor (Ginger Ninja Trickster), a very talented martial artist whose videos can be found on YouTube. GIF: http://thunder-blade.tumblr.com/post/3192671730/sidekick-aaron-gassor
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Want more out of life? Read about the social and mental benefits of martial arts: "Why kids [and adults] should study the martial arts."  You'd be surprised at how many advantages you get from formal martial arts, with expert instructors like ours. 
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Tournaments: Currently, there are no tournaments due to Covid 19
But we will be back, and when we are:

In February, McMinnville Community Center. Map: HERE.
In March, Boise, ID.        HERE is a link to the Portland Kim's Taekwondo site where you can find the flyer (left side of page)

   

In July, Renton, WA. Map: HERE.

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Updated: the article on the art of falling, HERE. Why learn to fall? Because everyone will fall at one time or another. Knowing how can make the difference between a broken bone, and landing unhurt.
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McMinnville; its parent school, Forest Grove; and sister school Beaverton

Great Grandmaster Kim swears in the new black belts. Front row: new fourth degrees. From left: Sam Thornton, Mandy Matsuda, and Nate Knife.

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One young man explains what he got from Taekwondo

Second Dan Anthony Veith received a full scholarship to West Point: Congratulations, Anthony! He is an excellent example of how hard work and dedication can pay off, and how important it is to set your sites high. Start with small goals and work your way up. Here is his letter, telling how Taekwondo helped him reach his potential:

I am currently a recruit attending Marion Military Institute. Here I will complete one year of preparatory instruction before beginning my studies at the United States Military Academy, West Point. I would like to take the opportunity to briefly offer my appraisal of our Taekwondo school and to explain the lasting effects that its training has had on me.

I was eleven years old when I started with Kim’s Tae Kwon Do. I was relatively timid, had mediocre physical fitness, and lacked any serious ambition or goal setting ability. Seven years later, and nine months away from an appointment to West Point, I am far from perfect, but have undoubtedly overcome the above listed faults. I owe my past successes, and those I will achieve in the future, to my instructors and the training I underwent as a student of Tae Kwon Do.

Perhaps the first skill any student learns as a martial artist is perseverance. Having never practiced precise kinesthetic control, having never been forced to focus and remain disciplined for extended periods, and having never been critiqued over very minute mistakes, going to class every week was difficult at first. As a beginning student, there were nights when I had to be forced to get off of my couch and go push myself.

The most basic ability any student gains when he or she first starts Tae Kwon Do is the ability to voluntarily do something physically and mentally difficult, while fully aware that it will be so. Many of us shy away from that which will certainly be challenging. The most fundamental requisite attribute of any martial artist is the willingness to confront a challenge and to persevere when quitting would be much more comfortable. I cannot overstate how grateful I am to have learned that willingness during my years of training.

Confidence, or a sense that one can face the situation ahead and deal with it effectively, is essential for any successful person. Goal setting ability and ambition are similarly important. To reach our goals, we must be able to define the necessary action, have sufficient motivation to take that action, and be self-assured enough to carry through with it rather than succumbing to self-doubt.

Every time a student promotes, challenges him/herself in class, or competes in a tournament, that student is conditioned to exhibit all of those traits. To successfully promote, one has to set the goal of achieving a higher rank, identify the improvements necessary for that promotion, must push him/herself in order to make any improvements, must have the confidence to step in front of an analyzing group of superiors, and complete all the established tests properly. Because every student in Kim’s Tae Kwon Do is encouraged to promote when eligible, they are all frequently exposed to perfect training for those who wish to achieve self-betterment.

It takes dedication to get something out of a martial art, but incredible results can be achieved by those who are willing to work for them.