Mr. Robert W. Marshall, Sr.

Transcription

1 Jacob Sterzik 1st Degree Black Belt Candidate What qualifies you to obtain this goal of becoming a Black Belt? Jacob Sterzik: I, Jacob Sterzik am an amazing black belt leader. I have demonstrated qualities of perseverance, self-control, loyalty, honor and strength. In the area of strength, I have completed the physical requirements. These requirements include the physical fitness test as well as the successful board breaks during testing. During the physical fitness testing I completed a number of pushups, sit-ups, punches, kicks, and combinations of punches and kicks for a total score of 318. For the board break testing, I performed the hammer fist, round kick, back fist, and a number three jump front kick, successfully breaking a green board. I demonstrated loyalty and honor by keeping my commitment to the Demo Team. I kept my commitment to the Demo Team by being there every Saturday when we Practiced. I was also there for all the events. I have also shown self-control in sparring matches and during sparring in class, I have learned to be under control. I used to be out of control and I would lose my temper when I got hurt. Now I am faster, I do not wind up for attacks, and I keep calm under control even when I am injured. Finally, I have shown a great deal of perseverance when I failed a previous board break. After this failure I practiced kicking paper to practice hitting a target and wood planks to practice hitting a target with power. After all this practice I passed the test! I am qualified to become a black belt for three reason: Firstly, I know all the forms required to be a black belt. I know Songahm 1, the first of all forms. I ve also learned Songahm 5, 3 and 2. The others are In Wha 2, and Choong Jung 2. There is the Bahng Mahng Ee form as well. When I get my black belt, I will learn even more awesome forms. Secondly, I have practiced everything I need to know to get my black belt. This practice included self-defense, forms, sparring combos and combinations. When I practice, I get better at what I have learned before. This helps when you return to

2 Jacob Sterzik 1st Degree Black Belt Candidate What qualifies you to obtain this goal of becoming a Black Belt? class. It also helps with memory. Practice makes perfect. Thirdly, in the area of knowledge, I have learned the forms and meanings for the following belt levels: White (Songahm 1), orange (Songahm 2), yellow (Songahm 3), green (Songahm 5), blue, (In Wha 2), and red (Choong Jung 2). In addition to the forms are the sparring combinations and self defenses. The sparring combinations are the first three for all the required forms: white, orange, yellow, and red. The self-defenses are from the red and black recommended forms. In addition to these requirements I also participated in the 2015 Dallas Duel tournament. During this tournament I competed in traditional sparring, combat weapons, and forms at the competitive level. These competitions were very challenging and while I did not place, I had a very good performance. Why do you want to become a Black Belt? Jacob Sterzik: I want to be a black belt for three important reasons: I was inspired by movies, taekwondo has taught me to struggle well, and the art of self-defense. First, I was inspired by several karate movies such as Karate Kid, Kung Fu Panda" and Kung Fu Panda 2. Karate Kid demonstrated the main character s determination to win the tournament. The Kung Fu Panda movies showed the possibility of Po being the dragon warrior coming true as he trained non-stop with Master Shifu. In the 2nd movie, Po conquers his struggle with the memory of his mother. Shifu struggled in the 1st movie with the fact that Po was the dragon warrior. Shifu also showed loyalty to his master to train Po when his master died. I wanted to become a black belt to learn the determination of the karate kid, to make things possible through struggle like Po, and loyalty to a teacher and school. Secondly, I want to become a Black Belt to show how I struggled, persevered, and achieved my goal.

3 Jacob Sterzik 1st Degree Black Belt Candidate Why do you want to become a Black Belt? Jacob Sterzik: The activity of struggle played an important part of my black belt journey when we switched to Mr. Marshall s school. We had to discover what Songahm 1 was since we had not learned it at our other school. I also had to learn what Songahm 5 was as well. I persevered and learned both new forms. Finally, I want to become a black belt so that I can learn ever better ways of defending myself. Once I achieve the rank of black belt, I can move on to more self-defenses. The idea of protecting ourselves with self-defense is amazing! I love training on a dummy to learn kicks, punches, and more. A black belt focuses on practicing to learn new skills to become a more effective martial artist. These reasons are why I want a black belt: Inspiration, struggle to persevere and the art of self-defense.

4 Luke Sterzik 1st Degree Black Belt Candidate What qualifies you to attain this goal of becoming a Black Belt? Luke Sterzik: There are several things that qualify me to become a Black Belt in Taekwondo. I am going to share three specific things; strength, perseverance, and an adventurous spirit. I showed my strength by successfully completing the physical fitness test and achieving a passing score of 312 points. I persevered through my 2 and a half years and I continued to work hard through the long black recommended cycle. I showed an adventurous spirit by going to the Dallas Duel. I was too comfortable in class and I knew the other students moves. At the Dallas Duel, I did not know what the other people would do. I had a great time and even tried to do a butterfly kick in one of the sparring matches. I have thought of the possibilities of being a black belt and struggled to get to the Black Belt level. I feel I deserve this belt after all my work and training. I have been doing taekwondo for over 2 years and have completed every color belt. I have persevered through all these belts, from white to black recommended. Although it was hard, I did it. My favorite belt is the belt I am on now, which is black recommended. I have qualified myself to be a black belt since I know the required forms Choong Jung 2, Songahm 1, 2, 3 and the Single Bahng Mahng Ee, which is my favorite form. I have the knowledge for the black belt. I know all the sparring combinations that I am required to memorize. I have also mastered the first and second red belt self-defenses, they hey-you self-defense, and the seven step self-defense. I feel qualified to be a black belt because I have received first place in forms, weapons forms, and sparring at the tournaments I have competed in. I also receive 2nd place in combat sparring twice and third place in weapons forms (an earlier tournament). These awards demonstrate my knowledge of the forms as well as my ability to use these forms in a competitive way.

5 Luke Sterzik 1st Degree Black Belt Candidate Why do you want to become a Black Belt? Luke Sterzik: I would like to become a black belt so that I can learn new and difficult moves like the upset palm heel strike and the number three jump axe kick. I first saw the number three axe kick in the black belt class that meets before my class. These moves will help me be more successful in my sparring matches. Ever since I was camo belt, I have thought of the possibility of learning the axe kick. I learned the number one axe kick when I first earned my black recommended rank. My friend, Ethan, also inspired me to be a good martial artist and get my black belt. I try to learn moves from him which sometimes help me in sparring. He is one of my favorite friends. He showed me several unusual moves and I thought that I would also like to learn some new moves. I proceeded to take classes and have been taking classes for over 2 years at three different dojangs. I also made new friends during this time period. I love working with friends; you know you are in safe surroundings to try New things. I am now the highest belt rank before black belt. I also want to earn my black belt so that I can feel proud of myself and achieving one of my life goals. It was hard, but I persevered through my years learning the different forms. It felt impossible, but it was not. My brother and I went through the forms and succeeded. I struggled through the belts but did it!

6 Common Questions We are a full service, goal oriented martial arts school and we do reward effort, but Belt Testing is only for active members of our school and not available to those who are simply trying out classes under a trial period. We don t just give out belts, it is a hard earned privilege and benefit of membership in our school and the American Taekwondo Association (ATA). Every ATA licensed school is individually owned and operated and some of their training and/or Testing requirements may vary; but not essentially. Marshall s ATA Martial Arts will not allow students to test who are simply trying our classes under an intro trial period." This is indeed our school s policy on Belt Testings as the results of Belt Testings are a permanent feature of a student's profile record and are added to the ATA student database administered at ATA World Headquarters in Littlerock, Ar. Belt testing is indeed a privilege of active ATA membership and this is stated clearly on all of our documentation and student membership registration documents. It is also written in the membership that promotional rank examination fees are not included in a student s regular monthly tuition fees. This information is clearly written in order to ensure the Parent and/or Student knows the terms and conditions up front. As far as graduation fees, it is stated in the membership agreement that testing fees are due as part of the requirements of rank advancement. They cover the national administrative fees from ATA World HQ, the belt, the certificate, and any other expenses, such as venue rental, etc. Although we make additional merchandise available, such as apparel, safety gear, training equipment, etc. if students wish to purchase it, and certain classes/demo teams MAY require special uniforms or equipment, it is the students/parents choice as to whether they will purchase these additional items or join these programs. As far as the membership is concerned, our memberships clearly state the time commitment. Both the expiration date and number of months of commitment are written in two distinct places. This is to ensure that everyone is clear as to what is expected in the agreement. Within the membership, written in plain English, not legal jargon, it states the purchase of safety equipment will be necessary for certain activities in the classes. This is for your safety, class preparation and is also required by our insurance carrier. We do not wish to mislead anyone, but we must inspect and approve the condition of ALL safety gear and training weapons used at Marshall s ATA. Please order all ATA Logo d safety equipment through the school as it must meet the ATA approved safety equipment standard. All ATA safety equipment must be of the same make & quality so please consult with us before purchasing gear or weapons either new or second hand from online sites such as ebay as this gear may arrive in poor condition, ill fitting or be an unauthorized color. Black or Red safety gear are the only two colors of gear that are acceptable in our school and is program specific. All Black Belts and Master Club students will have Black gear. Our instructors have chosen to dedicate themselves to the study of martial arts and to passing on values and information to students in order to help those students better their lives. Furthermore, We believe that all students young and not so young anymore, adults and children can make a commitment to achieving their Black Belts. Young students may, however, need the guidance of their families to reach that goal. Although the membership agreement is signed by the PARENT, we do ask the child to initial their promise to come to class regularly. Children learn commitment and follow through at an early age. I would encourage anyone, parent or student to attend our Black Belt Testing coming up next month in December, or watch a ring with the youngest students at a tournament. Some of these children have been training since 3 and a half years of age and now understand the concepts of commitment, goal setting, and perseverance If they learn to be successful at a young age, they will be successful their entire lives. If a student is unable to attend classes for any reason, as a courtesy to our students, The policy of Marshall s ATA is that the training time will be offered at a later date, essentially extending the expiration date of the membership. Tuition is not contingent upon class attendance but upon an agreement for training in a chosen program level for a certain period of time. A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, The sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child. Private Lessons We offer private lessons by appointment. These sessions enable students to receive intensive one-on-one instruction. They are a great way to prepare for an upcoming graduation or tournament, or simply to improve your skills. You can select an area of focus forms, one-steps, sparring, weapons, kicks, blocks, self-defense, etc. or we can choose for you. The cost is $25 per half hour of instruction. You may schedule a private lesson by calling Mr. or Mrs. Marshall at

7 Aklesia Assefa At the last Marshall s ATA School Belt Testing, I unveiled the new Word of the Cycle and it is DISCOVERY. I wanted the students to use this Testing Cycle to ask questions and seek out the answers for themselves. I wanted them to ask lots of questions about whatever it is that they are even remotely curious about and proceed on a quest to answer those questions using their own sleuthing abilities and resources to get to the Who, What, Where, How, When & Why answers for themselves. I think this assignment probably caused more confusion than I anticipated. I don t think there is a big emphasis today in schools on teaching kids HOW to think. I think they may be provided too many listings of WHAT to think about. But as fate would have it, one of my young taekwondo students accepted the challenge and asked me the question Why is the Sky Blue? I told her that that is a good question and that I would be very interested to know what answer she comes up with to answer her question. Miss Aklesia Assefa, who is only 9 years old, went and did some research and the following is what she brought back with her to present to me in her taekwondo class: Why is the Sky Blue? The answer to this question can be found by looking at the particles floating in the air. The Earth s atmosphere is filled with trillions of tiny dust particles. Most of these particles, or particulates, are too small to be seen with the human eye. The smallest particulates are by coincidence the same length as the wavelength of blue light. As the light from our sun shines into the atmosphere, most of the colors are able to reach the Earth s surface uninterrupted. However, because blue light has a wavelength that is the same size as the particles in the air, this light is scattered in every direction. This blue light bounces from particulate to particulate until it eventually reaches our eyes. For this reason, no matter what direction you look in the sky, it appears to be blue. A universal favorite of men and women and businesses, blue is friendly, authoritative, peaceful, and trustworthy. This is useful business information when designing logos. Shades of Blue: These words are synonymous with or represent various shades of the color blue: azure, baby blue, beryl, cerulean, cobalt, cornflower blue, corporate blue, cyan, indigo, midnight blue, navy, Prussian blue, robin's egg blue, royal, sapphire, sky blue, slate, steel blue. Connection With Nature: Blue is calming. It can be strong and steadfast or light and friendly. Almost everyone likes some shade of the color blue. In 1999 Pantone named the sky blue color of Cerulean as the color of the new millennium. Pantone selected the color Blue Iris as the 2008 Color of the Year telling us: "Combining the stable and calming aspects of blue with the mystical and spiritual qualities of purple, Blue Iris satisfies the need for reassurance in a complex world, while adding a hint of mystery and excitement." Reader Responses to the Color Blue: While blue has different symbolic meanings, individual reactions to the color blue can vary widely. The following are some of the reactions to the color blue that readers have shared over the years. Blue Is Sincere "Blue is the color of sky, ocean, sleep, and twilight. It is a color that makes me feel so good. When I see it, I almost feel like I am in heaven. For me, blue is the color of sincerity, inspiration, and spirituality. It makes me feel like I am good enough." - pradnya Blue Is Calming "I love the sight of blue...especially shades of turquoise like teal and aquamarine. I tend to be naturally drawn to this color; I believe because it is the color of my aura. I am already a very calm, serene, emotionally balanced person but when I'm around the color blue, I am less nervous and more comfortable and communicative in the presence of others." - Latia Blue Can Also Be Intense "Many people think of blue as being peaceful and serene, like a clear summer sky or calming waters. However, when blues are deep and intense this internal reflection changes. Skies become stormy and waters will rage. Blue now arouses a feeling of emotional energy, strength and spirit." - sunset707 Blue Brings Both Inspiration and Sadness "I love blue, because it's the color of the ocean and the sky. The color blue makes me feel calm, quiet, reflective and strong. When I look at the blue waters of the ocean, I feel calm and very strong, I feel free like the moving waves and yet there is a sadness to it which at times fill my eyes with tears -I don't understand why. No color like great blue!" - Guest Sharon It is helpful to keep in mind how the eye and the mind perceive certain colors and the symbolism we associate with each one. Simply looking to the sky might be just what you need when you need it.

8 Marshall s ATA Fall Harvest Festival Oct 31st, 2015

9 Marshall s ATA Fall Harvest Festival Oct 31st, 2015

10 Marshall s ATA Fall Harvest Festival Oct 31st, 2015

11 Marshall s ATA Fall Harvest Festival Oct 31st, 2015

12 Marshall s ATA Fall Harvest Festival Oct 31st, 2015

13 Marshall s ATA Fall Harvest Festival Oct 31st, 2015

14 Marshall s ATA Fall Harvest Festival Oct 31st, 2015

15 Marshall s ATA Student Page Fall, 2015

16 Marshall s ATA Student Page Fall, 2015

17 Marshall s ATA Fall Harvest Festival Oct 31st, 2015

18 Marshall s ATA Fall Harvest Festival Oct 31st, 2015