TKD- The Family Journey

2 Months---NO WAY

2009-07-25T17:58:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that 2 months has passed since the last post. Ah well, nothing too exciting to post..........until now. We successfully tested for our Advanced Red Belts last night & needless to say it was smashing (poor attempt at humor).

This was our first testing that included breaking boards. So, tonight's post will include the vid clips of that.

First up we have Dalton doing a step behind side and a forearm break:

Next up was Tyler doing a step behind side and a overhand hammer fist with his Left hand:

Last was ol Dad doing a slide-up side and an over-hand hammer fist(2 boards each):

Next post will include some of our sparring. So stay tuned ;-)

Results from UTA Nationals/Worlds

2009-05-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a week since the UTA Nationals/Worlds and I am just getting around to posting the results. Truth is it has taken me this long due to the negative feelings that I came away from the tourney with. Without going into the sordid details, I'll just state that the judging was somewhat inconsistant and some judges allowed their personal & training affiliations cloud them a bit. That's it, anymore and it'll sound like sour grapes.

First up was Tyler. He competed in the 10-11 yo Brown-Advanced Red division. Tyler did the best pattern that he's ever done. That boy didn't show a single hint of nerves and earned 3rd in Nation in the forms category.

Tyler sparred in the land of the giants. Unfortunately both boys have their Dad's short gene. But he did the best he could, placed 4th and we were very proud of his efforts.

Up next was Dalton competing in the 12-13 yo Brown -Advanced Red. Dalton's pattern was spot on. He did not miss a single step, was powerful, precise and well timed. His performance landed him 4th in forms.

Dalton also sparred in the land of the giants. He gave it his all and earned 3rd place. Well done son!

Last up was Dad. I placed 1st in forms.

The oddest thing happenned after the forms competition. Two new judges were brought in for the sparring and they just happenned to be 2 judges from the same school as the two competitors that eventually placed 1 & 2. Humm, that must a been some pure coincidence there?! As my friend Mike would say "Bitter party of one".........cuz I still am.

My first match was a loss 4-5 to the fella that won 1st. After that 1st match, I did not spar again, not for 3rd, 4th, 5th place......NOTHING. Still can't explain that one and to add to the frustration, there were no Black Belts from my school to inquire how that occurred or to lobby a complaint.

Thus the look of disillusion even in winning 1st in forms and no placement in sparring.
So now it's back to training we all go. Each of us now with a burning desire to improve and perform better next time. In the end, none of us are too dissapointed. How could we be, all of us competed at a National Tourney and each of us earned a Top 3 placement in one event or another.

Till the next time.......keep on kicking.

The Pay Off

2009-03-24T11:30:00.000-07:00

Friday night testing has come and gone. Testing is always a little unnerving for all of us. The room is always filled with excitement and anxiety.......students reviewing their patterns, stretching and chatting 90 miles an hour. Parents, Family & Friends file in and find the perfect seat to watch their loved ones. The start can't come soon enough.

Testing in front of everyone still causes the proverbial butterflies; eventhough we learn, practice, review and perform over & over. Many times we have to help eachother remember parts of the patterns right before testing, as Dalton did helping one of the other students:

Patterns

Emily Grace struggled a bit with learning her Yul-Guk pattern; however, she gave her very best effort, blasted thru the nerves and hit all of the moves.

Me & the boys successfully demonstrated the Toi-Gye pattern. Even if I slipped?!?! Good Grief. Tyler was 1st up and he really showed some power:

Dalton was next up and he too showed power and timing: Funny how similar me & Dalton perform our moves so alike: Sparring Time:
Emily shows aboslutely no fear, no matter how much bigger her sparring partners are: Tyler's kicks are coming right along:The thing I harp at the kids to do is to "KEEP YOUR GAURDS UP" and at this testing, I demonstrated why they needed too:

Oh well, lesson learned (I hope)?!

In the end we all advanced and that is the best news of all:

It's getting Closer by the day

2009-03-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

Well it's been about a month since the last post and things are progressing very nicely. The boys have learned their Toi-Gye pattern and have the stick drills close. I have struggled a bit with my pattern and stick drills.........you know "Old Dog, New Tricks". But things are progressing, so no complaining here.

Emily Grace is coming along with the Yul-Guk pattern. She really tries hard and that is all I would ever ask or expecting from her.

Testing is this Friday, so we are trying to fine tune things a bit for that. Once Friday comes & goes, it'll be a hard press till National/Worlds in April. That competition is getting close fast, so we don't have time to procrastinate.

Some folks have asked about my weight loss. So, here the scoop. I began in January at 215lbs (ridiculous). Knowing that being in such pitiful shape gave me little to know chance of competing at a higher level in April, I began a focused effort to lose down to a target weight of 185lbs by April 20th. I have incorporated Weights, Running, HIIT, increased stretching along with the standard TKD classes throughout the week at night.

The routine is as follows:

Weight training- 3-4 days a week at 4:30am
Run 2-3 days during mid-day follwing HIIT program
TKD 3-4 nights a week.

The Results by week so far:

Week 1: January 23- 215 lbs
Week 2: January 30- 211 lbs
Week 3: February 6- 204 lbs
Week 4: February 13- 202 lbs
Week 5: February 20- 200 lbs
Week 6: February 27- 198 lbs
Week 7: March 6- 196 lbs
Week 8: March 13- 194 lbs

Eating habits changed to follow 50-30-20 (protein-carb-fat) eating plan. One day a week I have a cheat day to keep my sanity. Working real well so far.

Hope all has a Fantastic week/month/whatever. Peace to you.

How others see you

2009-02-15T13:22:00.000-08:00

This will not be the standard TKD post today. This will serve as our reminder that others see what we do, even when we are unaware. Let me start with some background.

This past summer at TKD-USA the kids & I met a Mother (Ms Helen) & Daughter (Abigail) who train together. Their Husband/Father (Brent) had passed away just the year before after a hard fought battle with Leukemia. The two of them do TKD together in an effort to recover and bond in a physical sense. Ms Helen has a blog that details their life without Brent that is very inspirational, yet touching.

On Saturday the kids went to a Lock-in at TKD-USA that was offered to let parents have some alone time on Valentine's, while the kids had a safe & fun evening of activities with friends. What fun everyone had. After it was over, all of us parents picked up our kids. At this point in today's posts, I am going to share what Ms Helen observed as I picked up my children. She shared this in her blog and it touched me deeply.

" He walked up to the door wearing a blue jacket the color of his favoritebasketball team. As he pulls open the door he turns slightly in my direction. We wave a friendly hello. We have both come to pick up our children from the lockin. He stands just inside the door, not venturing very far. He's looking for his children. Many of the children are in the back room where they've been watching a movie or have been climbing the rock wall. They come pouring out of the room, some of them are walking, while others run. I see his children come out of the back room. It's his little girl that I see first. She's so cute wearing her red outfit of stripped red and white pants and a red top. Her blond curls are pulled back in a small pony tail on top, while the rest of her hair is down. She stops for a moment at the desk and then starts up again. Daddy and daughter see one another. She runs to him with a sweet smile on her face. He bends down, ready to grab her up into his arms. There's a brief conversation as he picks her up. She's so happy to see her Daddy. I smile at this brief moment in time that only took a couple of minutes. A moment where the details will be forgotten, but the feelings of love and security will remain with her.
These are the moments when I miss Brent the most. There is no more chance to make memories. We must remember the ones we have. Make memories with your loved ones. You'll cherish them when they are gone. "

Helen Currie Davis
http://helen-lighttomypath.blogspot.com/
Genealogy Page: www.loosahatchiegrass.com

I asked Ms Helen if she would mind if I shared her observation on this blog. Doing so as an act of appreciation to her & to serve as a reminder for all of us with children and/or loved ones to live every minute as if it were the last. Enjoy one another with happiness and love. We never know, if that moment may just be the last we'll have together!

May God Bless each and every one of you in all that you do!

New Patterns bring lots of work

2009-02-12T19:43:00.000-08:00

Well we all are now working on new patterns since testing. New patterns are always fun to learn......well maybe not always. Confusion, slowness, mistakes, and frustration mixed with those "Ah Ha" moments of beginning to put it all together. Guess that's the basis for Martial Arts, tho. Success is not based on doing something right from the beginning, but instead the hard work, focus, desire, and willingness to overcome those intial mistakes on the way to mastering that level.

Here's what we're working on:

Emily Grace is working on the Purple Belt Pattern " Yul-Guk"
Dalton, Tyler & I are learning the Brown Belt pattern " Toi-Gye"

The countdown has begun for the UTA TKD Nationals/Worlds that are being held April 24-25 in Memphis. Only 70 days left to prepare.

3 Brown Belts & a Purple

2009-01-30T20:55:00.000-08:00

Well, the journey continued tonight as we tested for Belt Ranks. What a joy to see the kids progressing and giving their all. Could not be prouder. The whole school was filled with excitement, nervousness and Families. The place was packed and it made for quite an air of electricity.

Our night kicked off as Dalton tried to help the old man loosen up:

Emily started things off perfectly by doing her Green Belt Pattern- Won-Hyo pattern the best she has ever done:

Then Dalton & Tyler performed the Joong-Gun Blue Belt Pattern flawlessly. I had a hard act to follow, but tried my best:

Then Came Sparring. Emily was first and boy did she give her best effort!
Got Knocked Down___Got Right back up and went at it

The boys were next up sparring and they left it all out on the floor. Spinning techniques, high kicks, reverse punches...man I tell ya it was like Fists of Fury?!
Dalton enjoyed sparring (the telling smile)

Tyler by contrast took it serious

All of the training, effort and work culminated in our passing this set of tests and moving up in rank.

Emily moved from Green to Purple Belt.
Dalton, Tyler & I all moved from Advanced Blue to Brown belts.

Kicking together and sticking together. That's our motto.

I follow the boys to complete my pattern:

Not the Nationals.....it's the UTA World Championships

2009-01-26T09:23:00.000-08:00

Well this is truly a shocker. This past Friday we were told that the Nationals were being held in Memphis and we would be competing in it.............Turns out it's the UTA 2009 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. Check it out: http://www.utalliance.com/register.php
Oh man, this is huge. Opportunities like this do not happen often and we are STOKED!

Can't type anymore, too excited. More to come later.

Nationals is When???!

2009-01-23T20:57:00.000-08:00

Well the bad news is that the Spring Tourney scheduled for March is cancelled. The good news is that the Nationals are in April.........wait maybe it's the other way around?! Nah, it's all good. We found out tonight that the Regional Tourney was cancelled so the Teams can focus on the Nationals the first of April. Not even an April Fools joke. Excited, nervous, hopeful, unsure.......ah the emotional roller coaster.

Going to Nationals for the 1st time is gonna be CRAZY! Four Densons competing at the same time, whew, I'm exhausted just thinking about it. We will be not only representing ourselves, but also our Family & School. Now it is truly time for us to focus on every aspect of TKD. What an exciting time it is.

Tonight we focused almost the entire time on the basics. Stancing, chambering, power, timing...all of which we will continue to work on at home as well. I have a sneaky feeling that I will be one of the older competitors in the Adult Under Rank division, AGAIN! Ah well, helps to motivate me, which in turn (and more importantly) inspires my young'ns to do their best. It's all about perspective anyway.

Until the next time, I wish Peace to each of you!

Variety is Key

2009-01-17T11:33:00.000-08:00

This will not be a TKD post. It's a little something about our weekends. I'm sure the weekends add variety to your life and our family weekends are no different. After daily training in TKD, Saturdays are the Denson Sports day. TKD has helped the kids with balance coordination and flexibility. This is a very good thing because Emily Grace is cheering and Tyler is playing Basketball. Here's a few pics from today.

Always Smiling:

On the left end and still smiling

Tyler just waiting for the big steal:The moment after the steal and he's off to the races:

Ahhh, what fun we have on Saturday mornings.

Until the next time, I wish you safety and joy!

New Year- New goals

2009-01-14T20:05:00.000-08:00

Has it really been over a month since the last post?! Man, have I been a slacker. Actually over the holidays there was little in the way of TKD to post. Hope all had the greatest Christmas Ever & the Happiest of New Year's.

I can't believe we've been at this over a year now, yet the kids are still focused and dedicated. It's an amazing family experience. If you have youngsters, please consider finding a School that has Family oriented classes, so you too can experience the joy of training and learning together. TKD USA is a great school and I highly recommend them to anyone in the Millington, TN area.

We started back to TKD last week and I have to admit that we started back a bit sluggish. The 3 weeks layoff was not beneficial for the body. Last week was focused primarily on clearing the cob webs and refocusing on being better Martial Artists. We have started an every morning routine at the urging/insistance of our Instructors that includes the following: push ups, sit ups and lunges. The numbers are low to get the body accustomed to this new routine. Should help start the day off....besides, my oldest (Dalton) will not let me slack at all in the morning. He has been a great accountability partner to get up earlly to do the routine and practice all of our patterns up to this point.

We have testing in 3 weeks, so we are really focused on being prepared. Patterns, Stick Drills, Sparring & conditioning M-F.
We all are being tested for new ranks:
Emily- testing for Purple belt
Dalton, Tyler & Dad- testing for Brown belt

Also, coming up in March we have a Regional Tournament. I am sure I will face some of the folks that have been in the previous two tourney's. I'm sure one fella that I faced in the Sparring Finals both times is gonna be looking to whoop me & will be bringing his A game. Just means more work and effort to be ready ;-)

Hope everyone has a great week!

Peace 2 U n u'rs!

A little about nothing

2008-12-09T15:09:00.000-08:00

There is absolutely nothing TKD related to post since testing. I went to Chicago the Saturday after Thanksgiving and returned late this past Thursday.........so no TKD activity has occured.

Two weekends ago, a family friend and incredible man passed away unexpectantly. So, I want to take a minute to say "Thank you" to Tim for being such a fine example of Friend, Father, Leader and Example of a Strong Man. You will be remembered and missed often. Nothing has quite touched my heart as much as pouring thru your work laptop trying to find/retrieve your family pictures for Becky & Trey. Your passing reminds me to appreciate every minute, day, week, year that I am blessed enough to have with family & friends.

Today is my 42nd Birth Day so I am signing off now to celebrate with the family!!

May God Bless each & every one of you!

A month late

2008-11-24T15:28:00.000-08:00

WOW, has it really been four weeks since I last posted. Holy cow, I have really fallen behind. Let's get started. This month has hosted two milestones for us. The first one occured Friday, November 14th. We attended out first Board Breaking Seminar. Mr Wiggins was the host and it was a blast. We learned proper technique for getting the maximum focal power while striking and kicking. Ultimately, it's not about the actual board breaking as much as it is about learning to focus your power to a smaller point for maximum impact effectiveness.

Mr Wiggins leading the kids:

Kids warming up:

Emily & Dalton waiting their turns:Tyler breaking with a Side Hammer:

Dalton executing a very effective SideKick:

Dad's turn with a SideKick of his own: Tho Emily was ready, the Board was not willing to cooperate....but she tried hard, all the while constantly smiling:

This past Friday we tested for our next ranks. Gladly, we all passed and advanced in rank. Me & the boys are now Advanced Blue Belts and Emily is now a Green belt.

The next couple of months will be slow due to the coming Holidays. But the new year should start off with a bang.

Happy Thanksgiving to all & may God Bless you during this and all other times of the year.

Peace!

Feeling it

2008-10-27T08:29:00.000-07:00

It has been over a week since I last posted, so I am taking a 15 minute break from work to write this. We did train 5 days last week, but we were a bit lackluster coming off the Tournament focused training. Since we are testing mid-November, we are not gonna slow down.

TKD has truly helped us bond. Nothing like learning, sweating, and earning together. Emily Grace's kicks have improved tremendously over the course of the last couple of weeks. Her balance, height and power is getting better each week and it is cool to be apart of. We hit the pads at home a couple of days a week (just me & her) in addition to the classes and she seems to really enjoy the one on one time.

Dalton & I have added circuit weight training to our mornings. T-man is not so into joining us ;-) but he does get up a couple of times a week and join us for patterns, so that's cool. This extra work is an attempt to be more healthy and active.

Our training plan is as follows-

Mon-Wed-Fri: up @ 6am for 30-45 weight training in a circuit (20 reps per expercise) followed by going thru our 6 patterns 3-5 times.
Tues-Th-Sat: up @ 6am HIIT program for running. Run 1/4 mile 85%, then walk 1/4, & repeat cycle 3 times. The program calls for adding 1 cycle every 2-3 weeks......huh, guess we'll see how that works out?!

We started the running program September 29th and last week it was time for us to add the weight cycle. So far this weight & running program has enabled me to lose 10 lbs and that's a good thing (only 30 more to lose). Unfortunately, my right knee has been non-stop nagging at me (never had knee problems until now) and I am truly feeling my age. And Yes, it stinks to admit that. Hoping this bad boy heals up soon.

Until the next time, I wish all Peace & happiness!

Battle by the River results

2008-10-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

What a blast! This tourney was the biggest challenge yet and the Denson kids made their family very proud. Please forgive me ahead of time for bragging from this point forward as my cup runneth over right now.

The tournament started with a bit of controversy for us. Emily Grace was assigned to compete with the 4-5 year olds yellow belts. That was fine and dandy with her; however, the 3 other children did not know their patterns; however, Emily grace did. The lead judge then inadvertently skipped her. So the ring judge decided to skip the standard patterns and just call out moves for the whole group to do one at a time. Then they on moved to one step striking combos……well I submitted a challenge thru my lead Instructor, Mr. Wiggins. Mr. Wiggins then submitted a formal challenge to the decision and a 15 minute discussion followed. Believe it or not, it actually ended well and I must thank Mr. Wiggins for his doggedness to give Emily a shot at showing her stuff (even if she had to compete then with the 6-8 year olds).

Emily took 2nd in striking

& 1st in Patterns…………WOOOOHOOOO. That’s my Girl!!!!
Next up was the boys. Tyler and Dalton landed in a large group of competitors comprised of 9-12 year olds. They did awesome, amazing, outstanding>>>

Tyler man earned 1st in Patterns:
Dalton earned 3rd in Patterns:
Of course in sparring they drew each other in the first bracket & Dalton won (but Tyler showed tremendous heart):
Dalton sparred 3 more times. And trust me when I say, it was not easy. He did get in some good headshots, like this one:Once against a 12 year old that was a good foot taller and my little man beat him 5-2. He even took a direct kick too the…..uh, um, well the picture says it all & yes he did get the point for the body kick he landed on the Giant:
Ultimately Dalton earned 2nd in Sparring by winning 3 of 4 matches. He showed speed, technique and grit. Those boys made me really proud today.

As for me, well I had a pretty good day. Fortunately my pattern went strong and I received 1st Place for patterns:
Next up was sparring. I drew the pre-bracket round and had to spar just to earn a spot in the brackets. Won that 5-2, then went on to win 2 more matches to earn a spot against the same Martial Artist that I sparred in the April finals.

Notice the fella on the right holding video cam, that's my Pop: What, a jump Turn Kick?? LOL & it landed for 2 points!

Ultimately, I was able to win 3 of 3 Sparring matches to earn 1st Place in Sparring.

We had great rounds & I was blessed in winning the Sparring for UnderRank Adults.

What a blast. Eventhough the Denson's brought home a boat load of hardware, more importantly was the kids fine display of competitiveness mixed with good sportsmanship. I just can't express the joy in seeing my young one's giving their all.

Thank you TKD-USA for enabling us to use the things you taught us to earn these awards!! You guys are the BEST!

BTW-I will post some video clips later next week, after we create them.

24 hour countdown has begun

2008-10-17T06:37:00.000-07:00

This morning @ 5:55am reality began to set in. As I waited for the boys to get dressed for our morning practice session, it hit me that tomorrow is T day (lol). The unnerving thing about the tournament is the unknown factors. There are 6-7 schools participating in this fall tournament. With that many schools, we have no idea who we will be competing against.

The pattern competition will present us the opportunity to do our best with what we've learned over the last couple of weeks. We will be competing by age groups in a bracket type of format. Each competitor will do their pattern in groups of three. Then the top four competitors will compete head to head. The 1st place and 4th place will face off, followed by the 2nd & 3rd place, and finally the winners of these two face offs will compete against each other to decide 1st place. Competing in this way will be new for Emily, and I look forward to seeing how she reacts.

The point sparring is a different beast all together. Not knowing your opponent creates a void for planning any strategy..........same basic format as pattern competition with a couple of big exceptions. During this part of the competition we will get hit & kicked. Same bracket arrangement, draw to see who faces who, then winners face off to whittle down to 1-3rd places. On a personal note, I am really hoping that this right knee holds together! The swelling has gone down a bit and it's not as stiff as it was. Rapid healing is not occuring for this "old dude".

We have trained as hard as possible, against the best at our facility, so now it is up to us. Like I said before "unnerving"!!!

Getting down to it

2008-10-14T17:58:00.000-07:00

Three more days of training is all that's left. The "Battle by the River" Tournament is Saturday. We are all giving everything we got to perfecting our patterns and improving our sparring skills. In addition to the classes, we are still getting up every morning by 6am to do some sparring drills and to perform our patterns 10 times. I am really impressed with the boys dedication in getting up early before school to do this without complaining. It will pay off for them.

The boys have been getting better with each session thanks to the fine sparring help from some of the higher ranks like Junior Black Belts- Mr Matthew Corliss, Ms Elizabeth Wiggins & Mr Cade Carpenter, the Recommended Black Belts- the Lemons Brothers, Jada & Kera.

I have been sparring with top rank Black Belts since last week. The following Black Belts have really tried to help me out: Mr Wiggins, Mrs Wiggins, Mr Corliss, Mr Perry, Mr Scarborough, & Mr Scott. These folks are top notch and I am greatful for their patience and support.

Emily Grace is coming right along with her Orange Belt Pattern. I am looking forward to seeing how she handles the tourney. She is just so darn cute out there doing her thing.

On a side note, I hurt/twisted my knee last Friday and the silly thing has been a little swollen and stiff ever since. Sure am hoping it will stay together thru training & tourney. My competitive spirit refuses to let it get in the way.

Until the next time, peace to Ya'll.

Sparring, Sparring, Sparring

2008-10-07T19:54:00.000-07:00

As you could probably tell from the title, today was all about the Sparring. We did do Patterns too, but we sparred alot and it was a blast. The boys & I got to spar with higher ranks tonight and that is a valuable asset to use moving toward the Tourney. Working with these higher Ranked & better skilled Martial Artists should really help us prepare for competing with those folks that are in our own Rank.

Turns out the Tourney rules are going to be ITF style & that means 1 additional point for strikes done while in the air.
Example: a jump turn side landed to the head is 3 points instead of 2.

So, needless to say we are working on some timing to get a few of these strikes incorporated as a fluid part of our striking skills. Fun stuff. I even scored a couple of these during our sparring tonight.........woohoo, trust me it's no easy task to jump my big self up & do an aerial strike. I even absorbed some very good head & body shots that were dished out by the Black Belts. Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but I like the physical challenge that comes from being hit with strong contact! It releases that competative adrenaline and drive to do better.

The patterns are coming right along as well. We will continue to work hard to make the Tournament a great experience.

Kicking it in HIGH GEAR

2008-10-06T07:53:00.000-07:00

After a two week hiatus that included vacation & work travels.
Ahh, the Great Smokey Mountains

Family all together.

Kids going old school in this black & white (thanks to their Momma's fancy camera).

We're back & ready to dedicate the next two weeks to learning our new patterns in hopes of making the Fall Tourney coming up October 18th in West Memphis, AR. The only way we are going to be ready is for us to work morning and night to get our forms down! This will be one of our biggest tests yet and not a lot of time to get prepared.

The boys & I have to learn and be able to proberly execute the 32 moves of Joong-Gun.

Emily Grace has to learn and be able to execute the 24 moves of Do-San.

We started down the trail Friday evening and let's just say, it's not gonna be easy. Mr Wiggins worked deligently to familiarize us with this new form. His patience is very much appreciated (unfortunately, I am a slow learner).

Saturday & Sunday mornings we got up early (6am) and practiced our patterns. This morning Dalton & I got up to start the day off with a 5:30am run (a little more than a mile). Dalton is helping Dad try to loss some weight and get in better cardio shape. After the run, Tyler joined us for a program that included doing our pattern cycled with push-ups for a rotation of 5 sets (seemed like a good starting point). Tonight will bring two 1 hour classes at TKD-USA to focus, practice and learn.

Boy this should be an interesting couple of weeks. Stay tuned.

Another Step toward the Goal

2008-09-19T13:51:00.001-07:00

Well this has been a GREAT night. We all performed our patterns & combo's for passing scores to achieve our next rank. Taking another step closer to the ultimate goal with my family is the BEST feeling EVER!!

Before the testing began Emily Grace and her buddy Josie did some strategizing.

Then she & Dalton discussed the plan: Emily was first up.

Mrs Wiggins called her out and the show began:

Spin knifehand (such grace)

Side kick (very nice)

Next up was the three of us boys. Once again Mr Wiggins was kind enough to let us do our Yul-Gok pattern as a family unit. What a blessing!

Next came sparring and wouldn't you just know it, Mr Wiggins decides to spar with me. It was an honor to get to spar with a 5th degree BB that has the kind of skill Mr Wiggins has. Yes he schooled me, but not in a flashy showy kind of way, just enough to make me realize how far I have to go without completely destroying me. I appreciated the opportunity.

However, as everyone found out, David Blane isn't the only one who can levitate, check this out.

Even replayed the famous scene from Rocky:

Dalton in the Blue Uniform did well.

Tyler held his own against his opponent.

I am very proud of the whole gang for working hard, learning the patterns/combos, over coming the nerves and doing their very best to succeed.

And yes, as you can tell, Emily is having a ball.

Next up will be the fall tourney in October. Got get to work for that one, cuz we do not have a lot of time to prepare for this bad boy!

God Bless and hope all of you have a great weekend.

Testing Tonight

2008-09-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the night to show what we learned the last 7 weeks. We have to demonstrate our patterns, striking combinations and then spar utilizing the striking skills that we learned thus far. These strikes include: spin side-kicks, spin heel-hook, knife hands, round kicks, side kicks, hook kicks, reverse punch & front punch. Fun stuff.

Me & the boys are testing for Blue belt tonight. We will be demonstrating the 38movements in the Yul-Gok pattern.

Emily Grace is testing for Orange belt. She has to demonstrate the 21 movements in the Dan-Gun pattern.

Will post pics & update after testing. Until then remember "You're born to win".

Not the usual week

2008-09-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

TKD this week went really well for us. We all got better on our patterns and combinations. The morning practices have really helped me remember the patterns that we've learned so far. Emily Grace and I reviewed her Pattern (Dan-Gun) and it began to click for her. In fact, she was able to do 90% of it by herself for Mr Wiggins on Friday. Good job Emily!

Also, this was the week many of us remembered the events of 9/11/01. This week also was one marked by the loss of one of our favorite MMA fighters. Evan Tanner was a unique individual who was very much a free spirit. He touched many lives in and out of the ring/cage. He truly believed that everyone of us can make a difference in this world. He lived his life as if there would be no tomorrow and he went out as only Evan could. His life was inspiring for me and I'd like to share the following vids in honor of Evan.

The first two videos are a two part interview during which he shared some of his thoughts on life:

This video is one of the best tributes put together on his fighting career:

Evan Tanner 1971-2008
Rest in Peace

I hope you enjoyed these as much as I did!

Next Friday will be testing for new ranks. Us three boys are testing for Blue belts and Emily is testing for Orange. We gotta keep practing in preparation for that.

Sports Saturday with the young'ns

2008-09-06T19:01:00.000-07:00

This post is not about TKD, cuz today was Sports Saturday for the Denson's. The three kids at home play sports in addition to doing TKD.

9am: Emily Grace was first up today. This is her first year to play soccer and she's a bit confused, but watching 4yos play soccer is always entertaining.........

I mean they are just so cute.

Mom & Dalton cheered Emily on:

9:15am- Tyler's flag football game started. His first year at trying football, so we had him start out in Flagfootball to learn the basics of passing, running catching and basics of game. He did really well, playing QB & DB. Fun stuff!

11:30am- Dalton's soccer game. This is Dalton's 4th year in soccer and he came out aggressive this year. I contribute this coming out to TaeKwonDo giving him the confidence to do so! Today he scored 2 goals and defended a direct shot on goal...WOOOOHOOOO!
Here's a Steal at mid-field:

And here is the breakway that led to his second goal. What a great day we had!

Man it's Early!

2008-09-02T05:58:00.000-07:00

Dalton & I have decided that we are going to get up @ 6:30am and do every pattern we have learned up to this point. So last night I set the alarm, with every intention of getting up before Dalton to show my dedication.........well the alarm evidently did go off, and I must have then turned it off, because at 6:33am tap tap on the arm and there was Dalton fully dressed and whispering "Are we gonna do our patterns?" LOL, so much for being the leader. Good job Dalton!

We did all of our patterns and recited the meanings and you know, it felt great! What a way to start the day off. Now if we can only drag Tyler outta bed to join us?!

On a side note, my Parents celebrated 50 years of marriage Sunday together. My sister (Jill) & my wife (Diane) worked tirelessly on planning and setting everything up. The day went well & I want to thank them publicly for all of their efforts. My Mom asked for one thing....that I sing at their church. I said no, (yea right) so Sunday as I stood in front of her church going thru what can only be described as comical relief, I hope she enjoyed her request ;-)
Our Denson Family

Hope all has a blessed day!

Oh Yea, baby!!

2008-08-27T17:04:00.000-07:00

Two days of TKD classes in a roll with No trauma, Drama or crying Mamma!! Woo hoo.

Okay, sorry for that burst of excitement. After missing sessions due to ER visits & being out of town with work, completing sessions last night & tonight have been Great! In fact, all four of us (Emily, Dalton, Tyler & me) were able to take the same classes together to try and catch back up. Thanks to Mrs Wiggins for allowing us to join each others classes. Boy have our patterns been rusty........we gotta practice these at home.

On a side note, I've been sucking some serious wind in class. So, I have to do something to lose this big ol belly. My motivation has been rather low for getting my big behind up in the mornings to exercise & run. No excuses, just laziness on my part. Once we finished the 100 push up challenge and I've been seriously slacking. BTW: The three of us boys actually completed 100 pushups after taking the challenge for 7 weeks (6 week course, but we had to repeat a week)!

Till the next time, be safe & hug them young'ns!

Not again!!

2008-08-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

Well it happenned again. Hoping to make up missed days this week because I was out of Town M-TH for work, we planned on going to TKD Friday night for two classes. Early afternoon, Dalton's school called and said he cut his finger & probably needed stitches. So for the second time in two weeks, off to the hospital we go with Dalton. Three stitches in the first knuckle crease of his left index finger (pretty sucky place to have a cut) and a few hours laters, we head back home......missing TKD again due to injury to Dalton. Looks like he's gonna be taking after his Dad, cuz I've had many, many stitches & multiple broken bones!

Good grief, hopefully we can get back on track next week without an injury ;-)

Peace Ya'll.

Sword Seminar

2008-08-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

Tonight we attended our first seminar. The seminar was led by Mr Shade, a TKD Black Belt and very accomplished Martial Arts Swordsman.

The boys class was full of young'ns. The whole class seemed to really enjoy learning this new skill. The swords are made of wood, so no cuts or deaths, just bruises...LOL. The boys took right to the swords.

They learned proper stance with a sword:

Overhead slice:

Angle slice:

Mr Wiggins helped some of the kids out.
Mrs Wiggins helped some:
Emily watched her brothers and wanted to know when it would be her turn.

All in all we had a very fun night and truly enjoyed learning a new aspect to Martial Arts.

Finally this pic just seems like the best way to say Goodnight:

What had happenned was......

2008-08-11T21:18:00.000-07:00

Well tonight did not work out quite the way we planned. We missed TKD tonight, but did get to visit the local Medical facility. As Mrs Wiggins (one of our TKD Instructors) says "What had happened was": Dalton (11 yo) was riding his bike this afternoon without a helmet (against house rules) & bounced his head of the driveway. He didn't want to tell Mom/Dad and get in trouble, so he tried to hide it.

Well that worked for about an hour,
until his head hurt him too bad,
told Mom he had headache (not telling her why),
Mom give's him some IBprofen,
then Mom caught him cry'n in his room (something he doesn't do),
he finally confessed "what had happenned"
showed her the big ole knot on his left temple
stated he felt weird & that his head hasn't stopped hurting,
and then shortly there after he started throwing up..........

Of course we headed right to the Hospital. He was thoroughly checked out (CT & other tests) and was released 3.5 hrs later. Diagnosis is he'll be sore and may have some light headedness, may have suffered a mild concussion but he will be okay.

We are relieved of course, but it was quite the ride.

The upside is a mere kick to a padded head should pale in comparison to the whallop that the concrete provided?! Hopefully we will get back on track tomorrow!!

Tonight's Lesson: Spinning Hook

2008-08-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

Tonight I took two classes........yes you read correct 2, as I took family class with the boys & then the Advanced Rank Adults class. This was going to prove to be a mighty humbling experience. Both classes were focused on proper kicking techniques, with primary focus on the spinning hook kick. So for demostration purposes let's watch a well demonstrated hook kick.

When used correctly for board breaks is a very powerful & impressive technique, as demonstrated below:

And finally can be a wickedly effect & punishing Knock Out strike. As witnessed below: Caution not for the faint of heart, so skip viewing this one if you don't wanna see a KO!

Well let's just say that after viewing these clips of well executed spinning hooks, mine looked nothing like those and quite frankly, I would be more likely to hurt myself than anyone else. But Hey, I tried & tried, & tried until I finally did a couple of some what decent ones. Good grief did I feel and look (I'm sure) like a total goof!

The Bright side is:
1. My boys picked right up on the tehnique and had it pretty well down in no time.
2. We did work on the new pattern (Yul-Guk) and we have that basically down. Thanks to Mr Scarborough's patience and help ;-)
So hey, all in all it was a very good night.

Selfish behavior

2008-07-31T20:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have to admit something. We did not go to TKD tonight and I didn't like it one bit. We were running really late and I called it off. A little bit of the anger bug bit me and I reacted.

Then in a pathetic attempt to win them back over this evening, I created a few short YouTube clips (and the kids picked out the music) of all of us during our first TKD Tourney some months back in Missippi. Been procrastinating doing this, so no time better than the present. Guess I am hoping this helps to make my apology real for them. Dad is really Sorry gang!

Anyway, I have posted the clips on the right side of this blog and hope you enjoy them as much as we did. Yes, I did a couple of ones for myself too.......and they are shameless!

Hopefully, tomorrow things will get back on track.

Oh Boy New Patterns

2008-07-31T12:10:00.000-07:00

Well here we go, new patterns began this week. After Friday's successful testing, the whole crew now has new patterns to learn.
Emily Grace is now on Dan-Gun (Yellow belt pattern)

The three of us boys have Yul-Gok.

Also, our striking combinations have additions.
As a Yellow Belt, Emily now has 2 kicks and 2 punches in each combination:
*Round Kick, Round Kick, Reverse Punch, Front Punch
*Hook kick, Round Kick, Reverse Punch, Front Punch
*Side kick, Round kick, Reverse Punch, Front Punch.
She is trying her best to do these kicks with out falling....one thing she does is Ki-Hap (Yell). Makes me smile everytime.

Last night our class was introduced to new spin techniques. As we (Dalton, Tyler & Me) practiced our new spinning techniques, I found that I was 100% consistant. Let me explain, as compared to the rest of the class; I spinned slower, missed the target more and got tired quicker than the youngsters in the Family class. Ah the joy of being an out of shape, not so agile old dude trying to keep up with younger, more agile and more energetic folks. All was not lost tho, I did kinda get it by the end of class. The boys, well they caught on quicker and executed the moves very nicely! They do make me smile.

Well, I'm gonna go run thru the new patterns while the kids are off playing.......don't want them to get too far ahead of me.

Until the next time, I wish peace & joy to each of you.

Our Story: Part 4

2008-07-28T21:14:00.000-07:00

This 4th post will catch us up to date. Beginning late May/early June, the youngest member of our family began the journey with us. Emily (4yo) just had to do TKD with her Dad & brothers. So, I told her she had to first learn the Tenets of TKD & the Student oath.......thinking this would stall her (of course I was wrong). With the help of her brothers, she knocked that wall over in a week or two.

Emily now joins us in training. She smiles all the time.

This passed Friday night we all tested for new ranks. What a gift it was to see my three young'ns doing their TKD thang.....LOL

The Boys got to do their pattern together & then by the luck of the draw had to spar each other.

Emily did a fine job for a first timer. Especially being the youngest in the testing groups. Check out that block.

And how about this yell......LOL! Cutest thing ever.

I had the good fortune to spar one of the 3rd Degrees, Mr Foster (he's a dadgum good Martial Artist). Boy did he put it on me, but hey, I did get in a this one good shot. ;-)

In the end the best moment was watching each of my children earn & recieve their next Rank! Purple for the boys & me, and Yellow for the little one! WoooooHooo!

This was one Proud moment, I tell ya!

Till the next time I leave you with this quote I was recently told by a mighty fine fella (Nick Braaksma) " The family that kicks together, sticks together!"

Peace Ya'll!

Our Story: Part 3

2008-07-28T21:07:00.000-07:00

The Denson Family competed in our first TKD Tourney Saturday, 4-12-08. This was a great experience for us and I am very proud of the boys results.

Tyler- 9-10 yo Divison 1st Place in Forms

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Dalton- 11-12yo Division 2nd Place in Forms & 3rd Place Striking combos

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Chris- Adult non-BB 1st in Forms, Combos, & Point Sparring (non-BB)

Our Story: Part 2

2008-07-28T20:31:00.000-07:00

Me & the boys tested for our Orange belts March,14th, 2008. The fella's (Dalton & Tyler) performed their patterns and their striking combos flawlessly.

We all passed from Yellow belt to Orange belt. I could not have been more impressed with the boys poise and calmness during the testing.

Next up, our first TKD Tournament in April. We worked very hard to learn our new pattern. I admit we were a little anxious, but was more than willing to try. Noy do I gotta get serious about conditioning and losing this big ole belly.

Our Story: Part 1

2008-07-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

I will break our beginning into a few parts. So, here is Part 1:

We are a family with 5 kids. As the older kids grew up, I realized that we drifted apart as they got older due to no real common ground. In an effort to find some common ground with the younger kids, we began to search for something we all wanted to do. Martial Arts was just the ticket.

My two boys Dalton (11) and Tyler (9) thought it would be great if we started our Martial Arts journey together and we found a great facility with fantastic Instructors in December of 2007. Our facilty is Tae Kwon Do- USA. Truthfully, I was a bit apprehensive going into the first class, because I was the only adult in the Family class (it was full of children). But my kids seemed so pleased to have me there, that I soon got over that. In fact, now there are a few more parents who have joined their children in the Family class. We also attend the Adult class to complete our training.

We trained together for 8 weeks (usually 2 sessions, 4 days a week) before we tested on our first Pattern and kick/punch combos for Yellow Belt. To say we were excited is not enough......nervous, jumpy, jacked, etc. One of our lead Instructor's (Mrs Wiggins) called the three of us our together to do our first pattern (Chon-Ji) as a unit. It was a blast. My wife took pictures, my three year old little girl clapped & cheered, and miraculously, the three of us did our pattern together from beginning to end. What a moment!!

Watching my boys kick & punch and then recieve their belts was one of the Proudest moments of my life! We are determined to achieve each level together until we reach Black Belt! What a journey this is and will continue to be! My little girl was just chomping at the bit to join us and she got too soon enough!

I urge all families to do this together. You'll have a blast and grow closer than you can imagine possible.