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Things you can earn: Gold Medal Money, Good Attendance Awards, Belt Stripes

 

Gold Medal Money

             You earn GM$s for showing us your good grades, participating in a Tournament or Demo, giving a gift pass or coupon to a friend who tries classes, and some other things. 

             You can use GM$s to pay for up to half of your classes or anything you buy from GMTKD.  You can use it for up to the whole amount of the special GM$s stuff or our monthly weapons or coaches classes.

             For more information see the display over the sink in the lobby or pick up a info sheet from the student information table where the card box is.

 

Good Attendance Award (Red Stripe on Belt)

             At the beginning of each month we check who attended at least 7 classes in the previous month.  These people receive a red good attendance stripe during class.

 

Graduated with Distinction (Black Stripe on Belt)

             When students test, if they get more than half “wow” grades on the small tests, with no redos or 90% or higher on the big tests, they get a black stripe on their belt and a star on their certificate.

 

 

About Your Attendance Card

 

             This card will help you to earn your Black Belt.  Be sure to turn it in every time you go to class.  On Monday, they are all in the grey 1st class of the week box.  We mark the cards for who attended class and file them in the black 2nd class of the week box.  

 

             Whenever you get a new address or phone number, mark it on the card.  Your medical conditions should also be noted on your card.   Please don’t change the age on your card.  The age should match the date the card was made (in the upper right hand corner)

 

             Each time you graduate to a new rank we mark that on your card.  You need to mark your own tournaments and demonstration on the back of the card.  When you are getting ready to test for black belt and are told that you don’t have enough demos and tournaments, don’t say “I think I have some that I forgot to mark on my card when I was a white belt.”   After you are a yellow belt, whenever you go to a white belt class to help the teacher, mark a teaching credit on your card.  You need 100 of these to become a black belt.

Text Box: Competition: What Tournaments Are Taekwondo is a martial art; but, it is also a sport. You don’t have to compete to do Taekwondo, but competing in tournament is good for your Taekwondo training—if you don’t take it too seriously. In a tournament, you try to win against other people in your division (your competitors). In sparring competition, you try to score more points than the person you compete against, just like a team does in soccer or baseball. In forms competition, you try to get a higher score than the other people in your division like gymnastics. At GMTKD we encourage our students to compete because it is fun and gives them goals to make them work harder in class. You compete against other students from other Taekwondo schools who are close to your age and rank. Males and females are in different divisions (except maybe age 5 and younger). The winners will receive trophies or medals. Those who don’t win may receive a participation award or nothing. Tournaments have entry fees usually around $40 to $60. We strongly encourage all students to compete in a tournament within the first year of their training for two reasons: 1) You might really like it and want to get started competing in them often. 2) You don’t want to wait until you are in the intermediate division (green and blue belts) and have to compete against people with more experience in your first tournament. We usually attend one or two tournaments a month including Albuquerque, El Paso, and other cities nearby and not nearby. You can talk to other members about sharing gas and hotel. Kid’s as young as 10 often go without their parents. How to have fun at tournaments: Don’t expect them to be totally organized (all judges and other workers are volunteers) or on-schedule and don’t think whether you win or lose is a big deal. Just because someone scores higher than you at one event, does not mean you are not good at competitions. Text Box: -51 - Text Box: When you want to go to a tournament, look at the tournament posters on the bulletin board at GMTKD. Copies of the applications, maps, and other information are on the desk near the bulletin board. For many tournaments, you must register in advance, by mail. Text Box: You must participate in a few tournaments before you can earn your black belt at GMTKD. You may like to compete in sparring. You may like to compete in forms. You may like to work as a volunteer. You may like to become a referee. You won’t know until you try!

Demo: where we show Taekwondo or another art to a group of people.

Who can do demos?  Any member of any class can be in a demo and will earn 1GM$.  Students must do several demos to be eligible for black belt.  Beginners are especially encouraged to do demos because the people watching often want to see what they would do if they joined.

When are demos? Watch emails, monthly announcements, and the dry erase boards.  Also get us places to do demos like

· school classes

· group meetings

· business grand openings

· sporting event halftime

There is a form you can take to your teacher or event organizer to ask them if we can do a demo. You earn 5GM$s for setting up the event. 

What happens at a demo?

We do a routine, to music, that we practice about once a month in class.

 

Demonstration Routine

 

 Age 8 and younger runs in a circle then lines up and performs:

A.  Horse riding stance demonstration routine

B.  Basic positions pledge (“I pay attention . . . “)

C.  Three moves of their choice

D.   A board break on a board held by teacher of

                          a.  Front kick

                          b.  Palm strike

                          c.  Round kick

                          d.  Elbow strike or

                          e.  Hammer fist 

 

Age 9 and older runs, in two equal lines, in a shape that is hard to explain, lines up and performs:

A.  Horse riding stance demonstration routine

B.  A 10 move creative form that they make up

C. A boards break on a board held by the person lined up across from them, same choices as above

 

Then, all students kick paddles with three round kicks in a row.  Sometimes certain students have other parts that happen after this.

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Demonstrations (Demos)

 

             We have a graduation every month, but it will not be your turn to graduate each month. Even if it is not your turn to graduate, you can go for the party and bring your uniform in case we need an extra partner.

 

             When you have close to enough days in class, we will send you a notice in the mail telling you when to come in for testing and when your graduation day will be if you pass your test. Testing is about two weeks before graduation. If there is anything you don’t pass, you “redo” it anytime when you are in for class, before graduation day.  There are usually two choices of graduation day.  Remember to turn in your RSVP slip saying which day you will come.

 

             At graduation day all of the students of all belts who are graduating that day line up together.  We all show some basic moves, then we all show the white belt kicks, then the white belts sit down and everybody else shows the yellow belt kicks, then the yellow belts sit down . . . then we all show the white belt self defense then the white belts sit down, then everybody else shows the yellow belt self defense . . .

 

             9th gup and higher also show one steps, jump kicks, partner exercise (1 steps), and sparring drills. So, remember to bring your gear.

 

             Finally, everyone does their board breaking and receives their certificate and belt and we have a potluck party.

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When will you test and what happens at graduation day?

 

Usual Testing Schedule

· 2 months in class then test for advanced white belt (yellow tapes on both sides of belt)

· 1 more month then test for 9th gup. (White belt with yellow stripe.) Young kids may have a test for recommended 9th gup (white belt with thin yellow stripe) then decisive 9th gup 3 months later.

· 3 more months in class then test for yellow belt

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Events at GMTKD That you Might Want to Attend

 

Parents be warned:  It has happened in the past where a new student goes to every event and every class they possibly could attend, spends hours a day at the school and gets “burnt out.”   We suggest that you aim for 8 classes and one event a month.

 

             Each month you will receive an announcement page either at class or in the mail telling you about the events for that month.  The upcoming events page of the website often matches the announcement pages.  (www.zianet.com/gmtkd) Many events are also listed on the dry erase board by the student information table (that’s the one with the card boxes on it).   There are also posters of events under the dry erase board.  If there is an application to fill out to attend an event, you will find the applications on that table as well.

 

Samples of the Types of Event you Might Want to Attend

 

Coach’s Class— About four times a year we have a class for parents or other family members to learn how to help a student practice at home (what to suggest they do and how to hold the target.)  The cost is currently $20 and includes a target for you to keep.

 

Weapon’s Class—Occasionally we have a class in how to use sword, stick or nunchuck weapons.  The cost is around $10 or $15 and includes the weapon. White belts usually enjoy these.  You can take the classes more than once and will learn something every time.

 

Demonstrations and Tournaments are explained on other pages.    White belts almost always love to do demonstrations.  Some like tournaments, some don’t.

            

Parent’s Night Out– about once a month we have a Friday or Saturday night where the kids can play around at the dojang until 10:00 so their parents can go out.  Pick up a handout about the costs and ages. 

 

Seminars with Guest Instructors—sometimes we have special classes on certain topics with an instructor from another city.  Costs vary.  Sometimes we are invited to go to seminars on different topics in other cities.

 

Monthly Graduation Day Party—Even if it is not your turn to graduate, you can go to the party.

 

School Parties—Sometimes we have parties for holidays.

 

Fundraisers—for our competitors going to national tournaments we might have car washes or brisket dinners or things like that.  All students should help with these.  Sometimes we have fundraisers where every individual who sells tickets can use part of the money for local tournaments.

 

 

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Taekwondo Equipment and Study Resources

 

             By the time you have received this book, you should already have a uniform, forearm guards, shin/instep guards, cup and mouthpiece.  Speak to a staff member if you don’t have these items. 

 

You might also want

             An extra uniform $25  (normally people only have one belt)

             A gear bag to put your stuff in $15 to $25

             A study at home dvd for all tests until and including yellow belt $10

             A school T-shirt for summer uniform and to show your school spirit

            

At a  higher rank you might want

             A school Jacket, 2 styles prices vary.

             Your own chest gear $25

             Your own head gear $25

             Sparring Gloves $25 (hand injuries are somewhat common in sparring)

             Stiffer, strap-on-type forearm and shin guards around $30 each

             A belt display rack for your old belts, around $20

             A forms study DVD for the forms for each belt $10

             Paddle target for practicing at home $12 to $17, requires someone to hold it for you

             A punching bag for practicing at home prices vary

 

 

There are books, videos, and websites that you might want to study from.  When you are looking things up, remember that the type of Taekwondo we do is WTF.