Newsletter - April 2006
Calendar of Events
May 6 - AAU Junior Nationals #7
May 12 - We will possibly have a Referee and Judging Clinic
May 13, 10:00 a.m. - Jae Ho Sim’s Martial Arts Academy will be hosting its Annual TaeKwonDo Championship in Sioux Falls at the Sioux Falls Convention Center. Events include forms, free-fighting, board breaking, and Weapons. *Sponsors are still needed. $5 Spectator fee, $45 Competitor fee for up to 2 events, each additional event is $10.
May 23 - Colored belt testing at Mitchell school.
May 24 and 25 - Colored belt testing at Sioux Falls school.
May 29 - NO CLASS TONIGHT!
Restaurant Card Fundraiser
- Sales through May 30, 2006. Price per card is $25.00
- $5.00 from each sale will be placed into an account at the Dojong for the selling student to use for the purchase of uniforms, belts, patches, or towards their monthly tuition.
- $5.00 from each sale will be placed into an account at the Dojong for the purchase of equipment and to help defray the costs of competitions.
Benefits of Stretching
In addition to increasing the flexibility of your joints and muscles, stretching has a number of beneficial “side effects” that will improve not only your martial arts performance, but other areas of your life as well.
- Overall Fitness
Flexibility is one of the keys to a long and healthy enjoyment of the martial arts. Through regular progressive stretching you can increase the height of your kicks, the power of your throws and the effectiveness of your ground fighting. Properly developed total body flexibility is essential to improving the speed and power of your techniques as well as preventing common injuries, like sprains and strains. When you stretch at every workout, you will progress faster and recover from workouts more quickly.
- Improved Body Awareness
Through consistent, mindful stretching you develop and strengthen the connection between your mind and your muscles. Each stretch creates a distinct sensation in a specific set of muscles that you use in your martial arts practice. By paying careful attention to these sensations, you will develop a detailed knowledge of how your body works, which muscles are used for what type of movements, how your muscles and joints interact and where your weak points lie.
- Increased Energy
Chronically tense muscles have reduced circulation, resulting in a lack of needed oxygen and a build up of waste products in the muscle. This combination can leave you feeling sore and fatigued all over. Stretching regularly improves circulation, bringing much needed nutrition to the muscles and taking away harmful waste products.
- Injury Prevention
Your body works as a unit. Imagine trying to punch using only your right arm. Not only would your punch be weak and ineffective, you’d likely hurt yourself. A punch involves your whole body – your right arm to punch, your left arm to provide a counter force, your shoulders and upper back to balance the movements of your arms, your legs to deliver force from the ground, your lower back and hips to transfer that power to the upper body, even your head and neck to keep the force focused rather than dispersing it through poor posture.
If any one of these parts is functioning below par, your punch suffers the effects. Imagine that your back is stiff and sore. How will you transfer the force generated by the large strong muscles in your legs to the smaller muscles in your arms? You might try to compensate by punching from your upper back or arm muscles and ending up with an injured elbow or strained back. By keeping your whole body toned and flexible, you can prevent injuries ranging from aches and pains to serious joint damage.
Regular movement lubricates and strengthens the muscles, joints and ligaments, leading to improved flexibility. When your body is more flexible, it is better able to respond to the occasional overextension or sudden twisting movement that might happen in the course of sparring, grappling, jumping or bag work. As a martial artist, you need to be prepared not only for the movements you expect to perform, but for the unexpected as well.
- Focus
Stretching can be a meditative activity. When you stretch, focus not only on loosening your muscles, but on synchronizing your breathing with your movements. Deep breathing enhances your stretches, allowing your body to relax more fully. It also creates calmness in your mind that enhances concentration and reduces the “chatter” that builds up in your head on a daily basis.
- Relaxation
Physical tightness is counterproductive to the principles of movement in the martial arts. In order to generate power and speed, you must relax prior to movement and, often, during movements. Stretching not only relaxes individual muscles, it creates an overall feeling of relaxed readiness in your body that allows you to take on the challenges of martial arts with confidence.
- Stress Relief
Stress is often manifested in our body as tightness. Stiff neck, sore back, tight hamstring, chronic headaches and hunched shoulders are all signs of excess stress. By spending ten minutes a day stretching and relaxing problem areas, your overall stress levels will be reduced.
“Ultimate Flexibility” By Sang H. Kim
Newletter Items
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