Guest Intructor at Mu Do Martial Arts

Mu Do martial Arts is excited about our special guest instructor USMC Captain Anthony Friel. His credentials are: Infantry officer in the USMC, Certified USMC Combat Conditioning Specialist, Instructor in the Marine Corps Martial Arts & Blk Belt in Tae Kwon Do. He will teach techniques from USMC Martial Arts & combat conditioning principles & Combat Conditioning Drills.

Mu Do Martial Arts 1.22.2010 Color Belt Promotion

You Tube Link for Promotion picture slide show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrAjk5NJuIY

Realistic Perspective on Self-Defense

Check out this article, entitled "Martial arts, self-defense and all that". It has some good food for thought on the self-defense applications of martial arts, and it's implications in today's society.

Good luck at promotion tonight. Don't forget your discipline, drive, and determination!

Learn to Read & Write Korean

The alphabet used by Koreans is called Hangul. This is an easy-to-follow guide on reading and writing Hangul.

I started I think last Thursday, and when I came into the dojang Saturday I could almost understand the Hangul on the Kukkiwon flag... I was just missing a few key letters... and that was only three days.

What makes it easy is that Hangul is a phonemic writing system, so the symbols actually correspond to spoken sounds. Other Eastern languages such as Chinese or Japanese use logograms which are pictorial representations of words. Since there are so many logograns to memorize, these languages are usually more difficult for non-native speakers to learn.

Also, because Hangul is more like a true alphabet, you can use it to try and spell almost any word you know in English, whether it is a Korean word or not. SO, it can be like a secret code! Also, you don't really have to know the rules of the Korean language itself in order to know how to read Hangul. This will teach you how to say words written in Hangul, and to write words in Hangul.

All that mumbo-jumbo aside, if you are interested in some of the culture behind taekwondo, then give Korean Hangul a try:

http://www.learnlangs.com/RWP/Korean/index.htm

Wikipedia on Kicks

Wikipedia is dangerous to productivity levels! The below article on kicks is actually quite an interesting read.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kick#Axe_kick_.28hammer_kick.2Fstretch_kick.29

Guns & Hoses Karate Championships

Cho Un No Kon

Check out this traditional Okinawan Kobudo bo kata!

Got Bo?

Tips for Improving Kicks in Poomse

This article (http://home.att.net/~taekwondo.junkie/Kicks.html) has some straightforward advice for improving your kicks in taekwondo poomse (forms).

Snippets from the article...

In a kick with proper balance, the supporting foot does not wobble, the hands do not flail about, and the athlete is not rushed to complete the kick. Also, the athlete begins and ends the technique in the proper stances without having to adjust the stances to accommodate the kick.

And...

The kick in Taekwondo poomse is not supposed to be like a whip -- so fast that it cannot be seen. Instead, the kick is to be savored and beheld as the single most beautiful feature of Taekwondo. It is therefore imperative to control the kick.

Enjoy!

Mu Do Martial Arts - Dallas First Promotion

Promotion Class
&
Demonstration Team

Arey Family team fighting their way to the top!

Steve (Father), Angie (Mother), and sons Josh and Jake recently promoted to blue belts together. They are a dedicated family and team. They have participated in both Karate and Tae Kwon Do tournaments with great success.

Curtis & Cody Lee, Father & Son Team

Curtis and Cody recently promoted to red belts in Tae Kwon Do. They are getting closer to Black Belts. They can do it!

Marilyn & Michele, mother & daughter team

Marilyn Acuff (on right) and Michele Gooch recently promoted to green and orange belts. Grandson Brage Acuff was also promoted to orange belt (not pictured).

Pete, Mark & Pete Jr. Silva, Father & Sons Team

Proud father Pete and sons recently promoter to yellow and gold belts. Keep it up, you are looking good!

Andre' & Sarah , Father & Daughter Team

Andre' and Sarah now sport orange belts in Tae Kwon Do. Andre' is a two time first place trophy winner in AOK Karate tournaments.

Thanh & Tiffany Nguyen, Father & Daughter Team

Thanh and Tiffany recently promoted to orange and yellow belt. Way to go!

Congratulations! New Candidate Black Belts!

Alan Anguiano, Austen Burris and Martin Karanja All successfully promoted to Candidate Black Belts June 27th, 2008. They will now be training hard for their Black Belts this fall. Good Luck!

Payton Maher recieving student recognition award

Black Belt Payton Maher received a Student recognition award during school promotion test June 27th, 2008. Payton has demonstrated dedication and a good training attitude.

Father's Day Demonstration at Flag Pole Park

Mu Do Martial Arts Demonstration Team performed on Saturday June 14th. Our team demonstrated Tae Kwon Do form, Kicking, Board Breaking and Sparring expertise.

Constance Moch

Constance Moch relaxing taking time off from her usual training regiment. Constance is awaiting major knee surgery.

AOK Karate Championship Mesquite, TX

Steven Do newly promoted yellow belt proudly displays his trophy. He won forms competition at the AOK Karate tournament June 21, 2008.

USA-TKD National Qualifier Houston, TX

Nathan Muha silver medalist forms competition in Houston, TX April 19, 2008.

USA-TKD National Qualifier Houton, TX

Austen Burris Gold medalist forms silver medalist sparring with proud father David Burris at his side. USA National Qualifier Tae Kwon Do Championships Houston, TX April 19, 2008

AOK Karate National Tournament Mesquite, TX

Simon Berhane 1st place winner in sparring competition proudly stands by his 6 ft. trophy.

AOK Karate National Championships Mesquite, TX

Andre' Daniels 1st place winner sparring competition. Picture of Andre' with 6 ft. trophy and family by his side.

USAT National Qualifier, Houston, TX

Austen Burris Gold Medalist in Forms and Silver Medalist in Sparring. David Burris proud father on left. Coach Master Lagowski on right.