A Karate Class or a Life-Changing Experience

 

 

 

Johnson's TaeKwonDo Academy is located at

 

100-D Woodwinds Industrial Ct  Cary, NC 27511

 

(919) 469-5555.

 

http://tkdcary.com

 

  

 

  

 

There are numerous Martial Arts schools in the Cary Area. There are those that teach Shotokan Karate, Ninjitsu, Jiu-Jitsu, Aikido, and Sport TaeKwonDo. Each of these schools can offer you a limited number of things. You can begin to learn the Martial Arts, you will get good exercise and should have fun doing it. Though this level of traioning may be sufficient for some, students will often seek out an academy that offers a fuller experience; one where students do not just learn to punch and kick, but practice real life skills as well.

 

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Students at Johnson's TaeKwonDo & Leadership Academy are trained to manifest the martial arts philosophy in their daily lives. Our training does not stop when you step off the mat; it continues off the mat as well. Our students practice weekly on how to take their skills out of the dojang and into the world to help their community. This is the New Way of Martial Arts! This is the way of Johnson's TaeKwonDo Academy!

If you want more than just the "Local karate school experience", visit our website at http://tkdcary.com.

 

Hundreds  of students have chosen Johnson's. They teach the Ho-Am Style of TaeKwonDo, a style unique to their organization-the ITA (International TaeKwonDo Alliance). The ITA mission is to empower its students to enrich their personal, artistic, and professional lives through Martial Arts training. While the ITA believes that our students should be able to protect themselves and perform beautifully and artistically, our sense of purpose comes through the preparing of our students for citizenship. "We encourage our students to use their Martial Arts knowledge to improve our communities through one act of leadership at a time."(ITA)

  

Here is a list of some of the things that Johnson's TaeKwonDo Academy students have completed in the 4 short years that Bryson and Melissa Johnson have owned the "karate school in Cary":

 

1.) Students raised over $8k for Habitat For Humanity of Wake County.

2.) We volunteered to build the Habitat House off of Falcone Pkwy that we sponsored with the monies raised.

http://www.habitatwake.org/homes/falconepointe.html

 

 

The Johnson's students should be proud of their accomplishment!

 

 

3.) Raised over $16k dollars for St. Baldrick's through 3 different events.

 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDpYYax9zTQ]

 

4.) Planted shrubbery and other plants for the Assisted Living Home-Clarebridge in Cary. 

5.) Have held car washes for charity.

6.) Have held bake sales for charity.

7.) Have sold ornaments for the Ronald Mcdonald House that our students made-a project by Black Belt Rupa Vummalaneni.

Johnson's TaeKwonDo Academy supports the Ronald Mcdonald House

8.) Have sponsored soldiers during Christmas.

9.) Have sponsored needy families.

10.) Raised awareness for Autism and the Autism Society of NC - a project that was led by 9 year old Junior Black Belt- Ben Pham.

 

"Thanks to Johnson Tae Kwon Do Booster Club and 12-year old Benjamin Pham for holding a fund-raising event as a service project. Benjamin chose to benefit ASNC because he has a sister with autism. Benjamin proudly presented a check for $2,055 to ASNC"

 

The Autism Society of North Carolina

 

11.) 16 year old black belt and Instructor Jessica Stober organized a 5k run and rain barrel auction to benefit the World Wildlife Federation. Jessica's project is still underway, and information can be found at the website she had developed at http://runforwildlife.com. Jessica's project has been very successful thus far. She has commissioned the painting of eight 55 gallon drums that normally would have been thrown out as trash so that they could be made into rain barrels to benefit the envronment. The rain barrels will be auctioned off at the 5k so that money can be raised for the World Wildlife Federation.

Woods Charter School Students Donating Their Talents and Time!
Click Below to see our news coverage!
http://www.mycarolinatoday.com/2010/04/rain-barrel-auction-and-5k/
She also has her 5k race which will be on April 24th at Wake Med Soccer Park. She secured a 1 million dollar insurance policy for thee event, talked with town leaders and the town of cary regarding logistics, and is in charge of a team of over 25 individuals. 

This is the best way to truly teach a martial arts student leadership-by having them practice it as a hands-on experience. We call this experiential leadership training or Project-Based Leadership Training.

 

12) A 7 year old and Green Belt at Johnson's organizes a visit to Carolina House Retirement Home in Cary - Jackie organized the visit for April 25th, 2010 where all martial arts students can perform for the residents. A few weeks back, Jackie organized a meeting where some of the younger students could make cards and other crafts for the residents to make them feel good.

Young martial arts students taking their skills out of the dojang and helping others in the world!

13) What Does Math Have to do with Martial Arts? Tejas Sundarersan- a 15 year old black belt knows!

Tejas Sundaresan has organized weekly math clinics at the TaeKwonDo Academy for students preparing for their SAT tests. Tejas knows math! He is very talented at it, and he accepted the challenge from the Johnsons to take his skills out of the dojang and into the world. That is exactly what this young man is doing. Way to go. See, it really does not matter what you do to help, just that you do.

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These things were done in part by the chief instructors, Bryson and Melissa Johnson and through Johnson's many project-based leadership projects in which students learn by doing. The Johnsons believe that the best way to teach leaderhip, to teach discipline and other valuable life lessons and skills is by having students do them. It is one thing to say that martial arts students should help out with their communities. It is another to go out and work on these skills with your students and have fun doing it.

 

With the emphasis on community and the close bond that the students feel to each other-much like a family, coupled with superior martial arts instruction, Johnson's has become the go-to school for many looking for more than just a karate class that they can dump their kids off for an hour to go shopping. They are looking for an experience, an education, and a disciplined, as well as positive atmosphere. They go to Johnson's. 

     

 

 

The History of Ho-Am TaeKwonDo and the ITA

The History of Ho-Am TaeKwonDo and the ITA

By: Stephanie Lamm - A Johnson's TaeKwonDo Blackbelt

Evidence of martial arts date back to 3000 B.C. when paintings of fighters using hand and foot techniques were found on ancient Egyptian tombs.  Plato also mentions fighting without an opponent which is much like the modern day patterns TaeKwonDo artists practice.  Though all of this led up to modern day martial arts, formal training can be dated back to 4000 years ago with the HwaRang warriors.   

Before North and South Korea there was Korea, and long before that there were three kingdoms.  They were the Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje.  These kingdoms were constantly at war with one another and needed armies to defend themselves.  The Silla dynasty during the sixth century was the first to develop martial arts to protect themselves.  A group of soldiers called HwaRang were taught Taek Kyon, an early form of TaeKwonDo.  They were well educated on battle plans and other military tactics as well as educated in their martial arts training.  The lived by King Jin Heung's tenants which were: be loyal to your country, honor your parents, be faithful to your friends, never retreat in battle, and never to take a life without a just cause. 

The art form later spread to public use and became a sport that was practiced on special occasions.  The competitions were called Soobakhee.  It was an important part of their culture and was treated with great respect.  Sometimes they would use these contests to scout for future HwaRang warriors.  Much fighting occurred during the time of the three kingdoms and eventually, thanks to the HwaRang and their strong military force, Silla came out on top in 688 A.D.  This unified Korea and Taek Kyon became widely practiced as a recreational sport among the people of Korea.

The last dynasty of Korea was the Yi dynasty which ruled Korea from 1392-1910 and took an anti-military approach to their ways of life.  Thus all martial arts practices were banned.  The Taek Kyon artists would not give up though.  Some martial arts schools went underground and practiced in secret.  Since almost all communication was lost between the schools many different forms of present day TaeKwonDo were formed.  When the Yi Dynasty was over martial arts was practiced openly again, but it was not as organized as before since all schools were practicing different slightly different styles.  This caused much confusion and the sport became less popular among the citizens.

Once the separated groups started to merge, the Japanese invaded Korea and put an end to all "folklore-ish" practices such as Korean martial arts.  TaeKwonDo was yet again forced to go into hiding and the groups drifted further apart.  Once Japan withdrew from Korea there were many divisions and types of TaeKwonDo and it was much different from school to school.  A man named Lee Won-Kuk was the first to organize TaeKwonDo and get all the separate groups to agree on a name, techniques, and philosophy that would become modern day TaeKwonDo.

TaeKwonDo still varies because of separate organizations such as the International TaeKwonDo Alliance, World TaeKwonDo Federation, and the American TaeKwonDo Association as well as many others.  The basic movements are the same, but there are slight variations in belt ranks, philosophy, and location.  TaeKwonDo is now a widely practiced and well respected art form.  It contains remnants of its past and honors its roots, but has been modernized to accommodate the growing world around it.  TaeKwonDo has an interesting history and has stood the test of time for over 4000 years.

The 4 elements of Ho-Am TaeKwonDo

The 4 Elements of Ho-Am TaeKwonDo

By Dale Page (One of Johnson's TaeKwonDo & Jiu-Jitsu Blackbelts)  

HoAm TaeKwonDo is built upon 4 basic elements; Essence, Philosophy, Mission and Journey.  These 4 elements work together to define HoAm TaekwonDo and contribute to its uniqueness and successfulness.

Essence is defined as the intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something which determines its character.  The essence of HoAm TaeKwonDo is based upon four principles which when practiced by the student result in its uniqueness.  These principles define how the student practices and performs the movements in TaeKwonDo.  The first principle is “Balanced Posture Alignment” and it defines the relationship, position and alignment of body parts at a specific period in time.  The proper practice of this principle reduces the possibility of injury and helps in effective delivery of techniques.  The second principle is “Extended Plane Dynamic Force” which defines the line of movement in HoAm TaeKwonDo.  This principle works with the nature movement of the student’s limbs to safely create power.  The third principle is “CAT or Controlled Acceleration and Timing” which defines the timing and tempo of HoAm TaeKwonDo movements.  CAT creates rhythmic movements which contribute to the effectiveness, safety and artistic beauty of the form.  The forth principle is “Mindfulness Living and Training” which defines the students attention to the balance of mind and body and to the concept of Presence, the awareness of the moment.  The practice of this principle enhances the students perception of the moment during experiences at TaeKwonDo or during normal everyday activates.

Philosophy is defined as a theory or attitude that guides one behavior.  The philosophy of HoAm TaeKwonDo is based upon the universal principle of the “Law of Harvest” and its 7 Tenets; Honor, Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control, Courage and Community.  The “Law of Harvest” is basically you reap what you sow, in TaeKwonDo you get out what you put in.  The seven tenets are our basic guiding principles and along with the Siberian Tiger, the symbol of HoAm TaeKwonDo, endangered in modern times.  HoAm TaeKwonDo strives to create a balance between mind and body and to respect the students’ personal beliefs.

Mission is defined as a strongly felt aim or calling.  The mission of HoAm TaeKwonDo is to guide the organizations’ continued growth and development along with the empowerment of instructors and students to enrich their personal, professional and artistic growth, which leads to the protection of the tenets.  The growth and development of the organization is based on the tenet of community and not business and strives to combine modern research with the ancient traditions to develop the artistic principles.  HoAm TaeKwonDo encourages students to improve their body, mind and spirit, to create a better world and to do what is right.

Journey is defined as an act of travelling from one place to another.  The journey of HoAm TaeKwonDo is an individual journey and is defined by the individual and influenced by instructors and mentors.  The journey is one of physical and mental development and improvement, learning physical techniques to develop the artistic mind.

Dale A. Page

January 21, 2009

My TaeKwonDo Journey

My Tae Kwon Do Journey   by Jimmy Loo

It's funny how things work out a certain way. I couldn't say I have had a common beginning to my Tae Kwon Do journey. It seemed like all the planets had lined up properly for me to be a Tae Kwon Do student. If I didn't decide that one particular day to drive over and check out the noon class, and Denny also just happened to be checking out the class the same day; I don't think I would be writing this essay now. How lucky could I have been to have another out of shape, overweight person thinking of doing the same thing and show up on the same day? Well, I've been at this for more than 2 years now, and I'm not as out of shape as I was when I started. Looking back, who knows, maybe I would have signed up later, but I know it would have been much more intimidating and not as enjoyable as those first few classes without Denny.

I'm quite sure that most adults, who begin training in martial arts, would not have imagined that one day they would be approaching such a benchmark. I remember when I first started training and mentioning to Mrs. Johnson that I would be satisfied with being a brown belt. She gave me such a look that caused me to feel embarrassed to have such a small goal for my self. What I've learned from Tae Kwon Do, just like everything in life, one must try their best and push them selves to achieve the highest possible potential. Of course, back then I thought I was only brown belt material.

As with many journeys in life, this particular one has been at times enjoyable, learning, and challenging. With what I had faced these last couple of months, I have learned that things can change in a blink of an eye. Now more than before I would like to be a black belt, so that not just my family, but others my age will see that it's never too late to start something that can change their life for the better. With becoming a black belt, I feel that I would be able to help and mentor more students.  Even though it has taken a little longer to get to here, I am still glad I took this journey.

Ho-Am TaeKwonDo Sparring

HoAm TaeKwonDo Sparring

By Dale Page (One of Johnson's TaeKwonDo & Jiu-Jitsu Blackbelts)  

There are three distinct styles of free sparring in HoAm TaeKwonDo; Testing, Championship and Personal Protection sparring.  These styles are bound by general rules and protocols that are in place to protect the participants, but they each have uniquely different rules and protocols that define each style.

The general rules and protocols that govern the three styles of sparring lay the ground work for how the styles are to be performed along with participant conduct and protection.  Rules that dictate how sparring is to be performed are as such: no one below the rank of green belt may spar, sparring should be very controlled, no sparring before or after class and that an instructor is on the floor to supervise.  Rules that dictate participant conduct are as such: always show respect by bowing to your partner, if you make a mistake you should apologize, if your partner falls you should extend a hand to help them up, never spar or continue to spar if you or your opponent becomes upset or frustrated, never gloat if you demonstrate a good move or have greater skill than your opponent and the most important rule is to be courteous to your partner.  The rules that are in place for participant protection are as follows: no hard contact, never hit your opponent in the face, neck, back or below the belt, never strike or block with elbows, knees or head, do not use blind techniques, stop sparring if your partner falls or is injured and stop sparring if you feel that your well-being is threatened.

Testing sparring is the basic style of sparring in HoAm TaeKwonDo.  This is the style in which the TaeKwonDo artist learns how to incorporate all types of techniques; blocking, striking, kicking, jumping and spinning into various combinations.  During this style of sparring the participants goal is to learn and to demonstrate what they know along with assisting their partner in learning and showing their abilities.  The general rules of testing sparring are as such: the higher rank throws the first technique and sets the pace, listen to the instructor, answer up and modify behavior, maintain control and when the instructor starts or ends the match, answer up and start or end.

Championship sparring is the competitive style of sparring in HoAm TaeKwonDo.  This is the style in which the TaeKwonDo artist uses various techniques and combinations they have mastered.  During this style of sparring the participant's goal is to score points against their partner and to win the match.  The general rules of championship sparring are as such: the match is for two minutes or when one competitor scores five points, after two minutes the competitor with the most points wins, no hard contact, points are awarded when two or three judges call the point, competitors must show courtesy and not “showboat” and competitors must bow before and after each match.

Personal Protection sparring is the “street” style of sparring in HoAm TaeKwonDo and is generally not used in the classroom setting.  This is the style in which the TaeKwonDo artist uses all techniques and combinations they have mastered.  During this style of sparring the participant's goal is to protect themselves in a threatening situation.  The general rules of personal protection sparring is as such: there are no rules except those outlined by Local, State and Federal statutes, maintain proper mental attitude, know your surroundings, be aware of your attacker, be ready to do whatever is needed and to stun or disable attacker to facilitate escape.

While each style is different they are linked together and build upon each other to help develop the TaeKwonDo artist.

 

Dale A. Page

July 29, 2009