What are the Monthly Life Skills?
While training in Songahm Taekwondo, each student focuses not only on the physical skills he or she must learn, but also on important skills that will help lead to personal success in life. Learning these Life Skills are just as important as breaking boards or kicking high. At the Crete ATA Martial Arts Academy "Character Counts"! What good is physical fitness and the ability to defend yourself if you aren't prepared to live your life and be successful while doing so?
The program has even more of a positive impact when parents discuss and reinforce the monthly themes at home with their children. Students of all ages should remember to say the word of the month when they enter or leave the workout area (after bowing) as well as after bowing to the parents at the beginning and end of class. For your convenience, we've listed the monthly Life Skills for the entire year below.
* January - GOALS in the MARTIAL ARTS, A goal is a specific change in yourself or your life that you're willing to work to achieve. Goals focus our efforts and light our paths.
* February - COURTESY is kind, unselfish behavior like sharing, helping and using good manners. Courtesy shows respect and honor.
* March - LOYALTY is faithfulness to a person, ideal, custom, cause or duty. Loyalty reveals our love.
* April - GOALS for EDUCATION and CAREER - Set big goals. Aim high and you will do great things.
* May - RESPECT means to admire, appreciate, regard and serve others. Respect for others, ourselves and our training - genuinely felt and always shown - is our most important value.
* June - ATTITUDE (SPIRIT) means being confident, driven and hopeful. Spirit makes all the difference in the martial arts and life!
* July - GOALS for RELATIONSHIPS - If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work for you. Whatever good things we build end up building us.
* August - PERSEVERANCE means being determined to win no matter what. Not falling is luck: getting back up is perseverance.
* September - HONOR means deserving the trust and faith others have in you. It is a gift a person gives oneself
* October - GOALS for COMMUNITY - Proper planning, hard work and patience are key elements to accomplishing goals.
* November - SELF-CONTROL is the willpower to see, choose and do what's right. Self-control shows the depth of your strength.
* December - INTEGRITY means having a moral code to guide your thoughts and actions. To have integrity is to be loyal to yourself. Without integrity, honor is not possible.
How do you earn Victory Patches & Stars?
In addition to monthly themes, our system includes the unique victory patch. Karate Kids and Tiny Tigers (ages 3-12) are awarded special "Victory Stars" in one of four colors for outstanding performance in karate class, school, home or at a tournament competition.
GOLD Awarded for outstanding performance at school, significant improvement, straight A's, and Honor Roll. It is designed to reinforce and create good behavior and study habits when they are at school. Your child will receive 1 GOLD STAR for a total of four check marks in the "excellent" or "improving" categories.
BLUE Awarded for great work at home. Each week your child may turn in a "To Do Worksheet". Included on this form are things like making their bed, practicing taekwondo at home, demonstrating the monthly theme, and using good manners. There are also three blank "Parent's Choice" spaces, where you can fill in an appropriate activity of your choosing, such as helping to set the table or washing the car for grandpa. Ten completed activities earns 1 BLUE STAR.
RED Awarded for tournament participation, testings, and any other time students get up in front of an audience. After a tournament, students may bring their trophies to class where they will be displayed in front of the class for a few days. Karate Kids and Tiny Tigers will be given 1 RED STAR for their courage, dedication and tournament participation.
SILVER These stars are considered special performance awards. They are given out at the discretion of the head instructors. One way to earn 1 SILVER STAR is to do community service. You can ask for some form of verification from the person in charge, or if one is not available, we will accept verification from your parents.
Four different colored Victory Patches are available to accommodate all the stars that can be earned by a high achieving Karate Kid. When you have accumulated the correct number of stars for each patch, turn in your patch to an instructor. You will then be presented with the next level patch during a future class.
Blue 0-24 Stars
Silver 25-49 Stars
Gold 50-74 Stars
Blue/Gold 75+ Stars
Dragon Pins and Pendant are for the following four levels of stars. See the bulletin board on the counter.
What is the Proper Placement of Patches on the Uniform?
ATA Shield Patch
The ATA Shield is worn on the student’s right side of the uniform. The uniform top should be put on, and then the patch should be pinned for placement.
School Patch
Our School patch is worn on the left side of the uniform. Some of our younger students will wear a Victory Patch in place of the School patch. Teens and Adult will need to have on our school patch.
Victory Patch
The victory patch is worn on the student’s left side of the uniform. The uniform top should be put on, and then the patch should be pinned for placement.
**If you lay the top out and then place the patches squarely on, they will look crooked when worn.
A-Team Patch
The A-Team patch is worn on the student’s left sleeve under the seam at the shoulder.
What is the Songahm Star?
The "Songahm Star" is the pattern that is formed on the ground if all 18 forms of the Songahm system are completed. In a perfect Songahm Star, the distance from the center point of the star to the top point is nine feet ("feet" being the student's foot length). The total distance from the top point to the bottom point equals 18 feet, representing the number of forms in the Songahm system.
What are the Korean/English Translations?
Bahroh - End/Return to Ready Position
Chah-ryot - Attention
Koh-mahn - Stop
Jhoonbee - Ready
Ki-hap - Yell
Kyeong-neh - Bow
She-jahk - Start
Shi-uh - At ease
Dojang - School
Dobok - Uniform
Poomse - Form
Sahbum nim - Instructor
Taesa nim - Master
Baubsa nim - Senior Master
Jongsa nim - Chief Master
Saboo nim - Grand Master
Kamsah-Ham-nida, Sahbum nim - Thank you, Instructor!
What are the Student Oaths?
SONGAHM SPIRIT OF TAEKWONDO
As Taekwondo Event Begins:
"Sir / Ma'am I will practice in the Spirit of Taekwondo, with Courtesy for fellow students, Loyalty for my instructor, and Respect for my juniors and seniors, ...Sir / Ma'am!"
As Taekwondo Event Ends:
"Sir / Ma'am I shall live with Perseverance in the Spirit of Taekwondo, having Honor with others, Integrity within myself, and Self Control in my actions, ...Sir / Ma'am!"
Tiny Tiger Oath
"I promise to be a good person With knowledge in the mind, Honesty in the heart, Strength in the body, And to make good friends!"
What is Proper Academy Courtesy and Student Etiquette?
* Students and instructors will bow to the flags each time they enter or leave the classroom area to demonstrate respect to the instructors and fellow students.
* If students are late for class, they should ask permission to enter class. Permission must be obtained to leave the classroom for any reason.
* All students must turn in their tracking card for each class.
* Students will respond "Yes/No, Sir or Ma'am" in conversation with instructors, stand respectfully and address them by their last name and proper title.
* Students will turn away from instructor or opponent when adjusting uniform or belt.
* Students are encouraged to participate in class enthusiastically, however, they are to avoid unnecessary conversation.
* No student, regardless of rank, may instruct or correct another student without permission from the supervising instructor.
* A clean uniform is imperative in each class as a reflection of the student's pride.
* Only white shoes (sneakers or martial arts shoes) may be worn to/from class with your uniform, workout clothes, or ATA warm-ups. This rule also applies to tournaments. Sandals are unacceptable. Before entering class, store shoes neatly in the shoe storage area.
* Female students must wear a white T-shirt under their uniform.
* Students will not wear shoes on the workout floor.
* No jewelry shall be worn in class except for a wedding ring.
* All belts should be tied to hang evenly, as one side represents the mind and the other side represents the body.
* Students may not engage in free-sparring without all proper gear and direct supervision of an instructor.
* There will be no use of profanity on the school premises at any time.
* Permission of the student's instructor is required before a student may attend another ATA school or martial arts function.
* High ranking visitors to the class should be greeted with appropriate respect; if class is in session, all members should immediately stop and bow.
* Students, parents and guests will not converse with any person involved in a class session without permission from the instructor.
* School owner is not responsible for lost or stolen articles.
What about Testing Courtesy and Information?
Our testings are generally held on Saturdays. Children who are testing will remain in the dojang during testing. For their safety, children who are not testing are not allowed to be outside without adult supervision.
Students should arrive at least 15 minutes before testing begins. All students line up by rank before testing. When a student arrives after line up, everyone must move to make room for that person. This tends to make line up chaotic, so please make sure your child arrives early.
Students must be dressed in a clean and pressed regulation uniform with the correct belt. Ladies need to have a clean white t-shirt under their dobok. Men wear their dobok only. No jewelry is to be worn except wedding rings (please make sure the setting will not cause injury to you or your fellow students).
Spectators are welcome at testing, but they must be quiet and non-interruptive during the proceedings, including remaining seated until the testing is over unless they have to use the rest room or have a child that may need care. Students can be distracted by movement, loud talking or laughter from spectators in the audience making testing difficult. Please try to keep your movement and talking to a minimum so students can concentrate on their material. Because our testings are long, you might want to make alternative arrangements for babies or small children who might be come restless during testing. Children who can sit quietly are always welcome.
Courtesy to other students includes being quiet and attentive as fellow students test. Enthusiastic positive encouragement is permitted from students during the sparring portion of the test - please remember to be supportive of everyone testing.
A student who is scheduled to test, but finds himself unable to attend, should notify the instructor before testing begins.
Students who are testing remain with the group until the testing is complete.
Students who are attending the testing as spectators will stand at attention and recite the Songahm Spirit of Taekwondo, whether or not in uniform.
Students must ask permission from an Instructor or Junior Leader to use the restroom or get a drink of water.
No student is allowed to wait outside. They must stay inside until they are picked up. We are very strict about this. Please understand that the students safety is our major concern.
What is Proper Tournament Courtesy?
* Regulation uniforms and belts are required. White athletic shoes may be worn when the student is not competing.
* Students and instructors will bow to the flags and judges each time they enter or leave the tournament room.
* Fellow competitors are first fellow ATA students. The competitive spirit must not preclude courtesy and respect. Students are encouraged to support their friends in an enthusiastic, friendly, positive manner. No negative comments are tolerated.
* Students will answer enthusiastically; they will bow before entering the ring and bow and thank the judges upon being dismissed from the ring.
* Students will address their opponents in a courteous manner, wishing them well before the match begins and thanking them when the match is completed.
* Students, whether or not in uniform, will display respect and courtesy to all other students, instructors, guests, staff, security and volunteers. There is often limited seating at tournaments. Guests should be offered available chairs.
* Every ATA student, whether or not in uniform and whether or not a competitor, will stand at attention and recite the "Songahm Spirit of Taekwondo" with the participants.
* Each student will conduct himself in a manner that brings honor to himself, his school, and his organization. Many spectators are new to the martial arts and may form opinions based on the actions and attitudes of students.
* Students are allowed to change into street clothes at the end of their rank's competition. They are then free to leave the premises or enjoy the tournament as a spectator. Students and spectators should stay in spectator areas, leaving ring areas clear for current competitors. Black belts, of course, should wear dress clothing if students, and instructor dress uniform if instructors.
Parent Information and How You Can Support Your Child's Training
* Make sure your children attend class on a regular basis - at least two times a week.
* Give them that extra push sometimes to come to class. It is very normal for them to get involved in playing and not want to come at times. Once they are here they have forgotten all about playing and are enjoying themselves.
Taekwondo is for families! * It is natural for students to experience some highs and lows in their training. Remember that all children have different abilities and learn at different speeds. When new material is presented, they may appear to have difficulty remembering. If your child seems a little discouraged, try to be patient with them. They are being taught perseverance. As a parent, praise them when they do well and don't put too much emphasis on their not understanding something. We are aware of what they do and do not know and we will help them. You can also encourage them to practice at home.
* If your child wants to show you the material they have learned, watch them. They may not always be in the mood to show you when you ask them, so be ready to praise them when the opportunity arises.
* Don't say anything negative in front of them about their performance. Too many negative comments produce a negative attitude and low self-esteem. Positive comments will help them perform better and feel good about themselves.
* If you are concerned about your child's progress, please schedule a time to talk with Mr. Cochnar. Since all of our classes are scheduled back to back with no break, parent conferences are not possible during class times or in between classes. Our focus is on teaching your child and discussions about your child takes class time away from other students. If there is a reason your child may come to class in a bad mood or feeling down, like a death in the family or loss of a pet, let us know. We certainly don't want to discipline your child (like giving them push ups) for not answering up or not paying attention if they have a good reason for their behavior.
* Children learn a lot by watching you and your reactions to different situations. You can spend some wonderful quality time with your child in class. Have you ever considered starting martial arts? There are numerous families at the Crete ATA Martial Arts Academy that train together. It's great exercise, a super stress reliever, and you'll enjoy a positive shared learning experience with your child.
