black belt promotions -...

Black Belt Promotions True Martial Arts is proud to announce the following Black belts promotions from the February 27-28 testing:

Darren McGraw was promoted to 2nd degree Black belt. He’s an adult who owns a Private Risk Management firm in Issaquah. Darren has been training for 7 years and he’s a Senior Instructor at TMA.

Vinny Palaniappan was promoted to 2nd degree Black belt. He’s 15-years-old and a Sophomore at Issaquah High School who started training 11.5 years ago. He’s an Instructor. Vinny’s brother, Karthik, is a college student who also earned his 2nd Degree Black Belt at TMA in 2011.

Vikram Tirumalai was promoted to 1st degree Black belt. He’s 13-years-old and an 8th Grader at Beaver Lake Middle School who has been training for 9 years. He’s an Assistant Instructor. Vikram’s twin sister, Manisha, tested with him for Black Belt.

Manisha Tirumalai was promoted to 1st degree Black belt. She’s 13-years-old and an 8th Grader at Beaver Lake Middle School who has been training for 9 years. She’s an Assistant Instructor. Manisha’s twin brother, Vikram, tested with her for Black Belt.

Jeffrey Cheng was promoted to 1st degree Black belt. He’s 14-years-old and a Freshman at Tesla Stem High School who has been training for 5.5 years. He’s an Assistant Instructor.

Damian Banki was promoted to 1st degree Black belt. He’s 18-years-old and a Senior at Skyline High School who started training 16 years ago. He’s an Instructor and the co-founder of our Special Needs (SNAP) program at TMA along with his mother, Lynne who is also a Black Belt.

Sam Sala was promoted to 1st degree Black belt. He’s 13-years-old and a 7th Grader at Bellevue Christian School who has been training for 10 years. He’s an Assistant Instructor Intern. Sam’s brother Luke, and mother Jennifer, also earned their Black Belts at TMA.

Jacob Kicha was promoted to 1st degree Black belt. He’s 17-years-old and a Junior who does home schooling. Jacob is an Instructor and has been training for 5 years.

Berkeley Smith was promoted to 1st degree Black belt. She’s 13-years-old and a 7h grader who does home schooling.

Berkeley was also promoted to Instructor in March and has been training for 5 years.

Spring Arnis Special Sign up for both the April and

May Arnis Seminars and

you’ll receive 2 seminars for

a total fee of $25. This is a

great idea for those thinking

of testing for their next Arnis

rank soon.

April Pro Shop Special Weapons Bags are 10% off

Summer Camp Dates June 22nd-26th July 20th-24th

August 17th-21st

http://www.truemartialarts.com/

Taekwondo Promotions Advanced White Belt: Adrian Bongiorno, Tejaswi Erqattu, Emma

Huang, Ibrahim Hussein, Arya Joshi, Manasui Rallabhandi, Shamik

Saindane, Lakshya Upadhyay

Yellow Belt: Parker Bilbro, Riley Bilbro, Jenny Brisbois, Kaushal

Dabbiru, Saiathmika Guduru, Liz Huang, Anu Kurup, Joanne Lim,

Nathania Lim, Shreya Madhaven, Krsangi Padmanabhan, Vikranth

Samavedi, Martin Soukal

Advanced Yellow Belt: Kendra Lee, Qing yu Li, Cole Matthew,

Yasmin Mohamed, Nathan Pan, Jaysheel Pandya, Aditya Prasanna,

Katherine Xu

Green Belt: Vybhav Anand, Shayla Bansal, Kashish Gupta, Corbin

Hundrup, Arjun Jagadeesan, Aavid Mathrawala, Adya Mohapatra,

Flaviu Panduru, Shrenik Peddibhotla

Advanced Green Belt: Zachary Chen, Mason Hallenbeck,

Mayukha Kannadaguli, Choshyath Koduru, Tristan Krauskopt

Blue Belt: Veronica Maljak

Advanced Blue Belt: Jenna Kratochvil & Charles Pickering

Brown Belt: Michael Padilla

Advanced Brown Belt: Aaron Zhang

Red Belt: Sean Kei Brainard & Benson Wheeler

Arnis Promotions Yellow Belt: Denis Chelan, Aavid Mathrawala, Yasmin Mohamed,

Niamh O’Farrell, Emma Shi, Irina Stocia, Ethan Verboncoeur

Green Belt: Mason Hallenbeck, Haifa Haris, Mayukha Kannadaguli,

Noah Shi

Blue Belt: Sindhu Bilapati, Isaac Cardwell, Rohan Wagdhare

Red Belt: Konstantin Velitchko

Black Belt: Heather Cardwell, Holly Heitsch-Hoyt, Alex Fleming

April Training Anniversaries One Year: Karthikeya Kusuma, Kendall Huberty, Thomas Huberty,

Michelle Larsen, Vybhav Anand, Flaviu Panduru, Krishav

Bionapally, Zoe Cole, Aydn Cole, Zakary Cole, Aavid Mathrawala

Two Years: Sydney Kuerner, Sneha Moudgalya, Arun Chennuru

Three Years: Chris Merritt, Elizabeth Donovan, Jonathan Luz,

Saharsh Kumbum, Zachary Chen, Abby Chen

Four Years: Shiksha Arun, Adhya Kona,

Payton Lo

Five Years: Kenneth Ruslim & Nathan Wu

Six Years: Jonathan Chu

Seven Years: Michael Padilla

Ten Years: Samuel Sala & Jennifer Brewer

Eleven Years: Jackson Zariski

Student of the Month Name: Ashwin Madhavan

Age: 14 years old

TKD rank: Advanced Red Belt

Arnis rank: Red Belt

How Long Training: 6.5 years

Favorite move: Jump double

front kick

Favorite thing about Martial

Arts: The amazing students

and instructors that push

myself to become a better,

more confident and stronger person.

Favorite thing to do when outside of TMA: Play jazz style

music on my alto saxophone.

Martial Arts goal: To become a 2nd Degree Black Belt with

strong leadership skills and is someone younger students

would look up to.

How has Martial Arts helped you?: I am stronger mentally

and physically. My leadership skills have improved quite a

bit. I found a passion that I enjoy and is healthy for me and

makes me a better person in general.

Welcome New Students Sjaurya Agarwal, Ruhan Agarwal, Daniel Bandanchuk, David

Bandanchuk, Nathan Chun, Ryan Chung, Ancel Gariepy,

Radha Gunna, Ethan Menashi, Tomas Nino, Kimberly Shin,

Sophie Tanaka, Qiig Hui Xie, Jiayi Xiong, Evan Wolf, Meg

Sloan, Aiden Wolf, Michael Wolf

Happy Birthday! Rishit Agnihotri, Alan Aisemberg, Divij

Aswinkumar, Daniel Bandanchuk, Deven

Bansal, Daniel Barton, Sudit Basak,

Siddarth Bilapati, Aayush Budhiraja, Chloe

Chai, Ethan Chang, Nathan Chun, Zakary

Cole, Calvin Duthie, Aarush Dutta, Eniko

Gulyas, Radha Gunna, Sean Hickman,

Andrew Hoyt, Emma Huang, AJ Karaca,

Tom Kent-Dobias, Dylan Kloke, Nathania

Lim, Shreya Madhaven, Atul Madhugiri,

Garima Maheshwari, Declen Oberst,

Ksargi Padmanabhan, Chales Pickering,

Manasui Rallabhandi, Riya Rastogi, Scott

Ray, Suhani Sahai, Aryan Sahai, Sophie

Schwartz, Emma Shi, Sreenija Stanam,

Janna Stibble, Yury Sudzilouski, Sophie

Tanaka, Harshini Terala, Samuel Trnecka,

Anton Vilkotski

April TMA/Maxx Fitness Calendar Saturday, 4th: Arnis Seminar & Test (See times below)

Tues-Thurs, 7th-9th: Arnis Camp 9:30 AM -12:30 PM

Friday, 17th: Basic Board Breaking Seminar 5:30 PM

Saturday, 18th: Super Cardio Kickboxing 8:00-9:30 AM

Friday, 24th: Taekwondo Tests 5:30 & 6:30 PM start

Saturday, 25th: TriMaxx 8:00-10:15 AM

Monday, 27th: Submissions Seminar 7:30-9:00 PM

Thursday, 30th: Submissions Seminar 8:00-9:10 PM

May TMA/Maxx Fitness Calendar Friday, 1st: Advanced Board Breaking Seminar 5:30 PM

Saturday, 2nd: Arnis Seminar & Test (See times below)

Saturday, 9th: Instructors Meeting 9:30—10:45 AM

Monday,11th: Street Fighting Seminar 7:30 - 9:00 PM

Friday, 15th: Private Taekwondo Test 6:00 PM start

Saturday, 16th: Super Cardio Kickboxing 8 AM

Saturday, 16th: Taekwondo Test 3:15 PM Levels 1 &2

Saturday, 16th: Taekwondo Test 5:00 PM Levels 3-5

Monday, 25th: Memorial Day No Martial Arts classes

June TMA/Maxx Fitness Calendar Friday, 5th: Basic Board Breaking Seminar 5:30 PM

Saturday, 6th: Arnis Seminar & Test (See times below)

Friday, 12th: Taekwondo Tests 5:30 & 6:30 PM start

Saturday, 13th: Private Lesson Benefit for Grads Scholarship

Monday, 15th: Takedowns Seminar 7:30 PM

Thursday, 18th: Takedowns Seminar 8:00 PM

Saturday, 20th: Super Cardio Kickboxing 8:00 AM

Monday-Friday, 22nd-26th: Summer Camp 9:00 AM-3:30 PM

Arnis Seminar Times Yellow & Green Belts 9:30-10:30 AM (Test to Follow)

Blue & Brown Belts 9:30–11:00 AM (Test to Follow)

Red & Black Belts Testing 9:30–11:30 AM (Test to Follow)

Red & Black Belts Non-Testing 11:00 AM–12:30 PM

April Black Belt Workouts Sunday Black Belt workout sessions are from 10-11 AM. There’s an organized warm up and sparring session then you’re free to practice on your own or with a partner. A Supervisor is their to answer questions. All students Advanced Brown Belt or higher are welcome. There’s no fee to participate. This months

schedule: April 12th, 19th & 26th

April Makeup Class Schedule There’s no deadline for completing makeup classes for active students. If weekend makeup classes don’t work weekday classes are an option. Attend classes that don’t have a waiting list. See page 7 for our weekday class schedule. Friday, April 3rd: All Ages 7:00 PM

Saturday, April 11th: All Ages 10:00 AM



Upcoming Activities

Spring Break Arnis Mini Camp Tuesday-Thursday, April 7th-9th 9:30 AM-12:30 PM

Work on requirements for achieving the next Arnis rank as well as reviewing previous requirements and Arnis sparring. Bring Arnis and sparring equipment. If you don’t have your own, we have some to borrow. There’s an Arnis test for those ready on Thursday. Attend any day(s) or all 3 days for a discounted rate.

Basic Board Breaking Seminar Friday, April 17th 5:30–7:30 PM

Board breaking is a way to bring together the physical, technical, and mental aspects of your martial arts training. Board breaking is required for Blue Belts and higher as part of their Taekwondo testing. Students are required to attend at least one Board Breaking Seminar prior to your Advanced Blue Belt test so you can perform a break safely and with confidence.

Submissions Seminars

Monday, April 27th 7:30-9:00 PM

Thursday, April 30th 8:00-9:10 PM

A Submission is a self defense technique that makes an attacker accept or acknowledge that they are confronting a superior force and makes them choose between calming down or risking further pain/injury. The fee is $8 and all are welcome if you are at least 10 years old. Advanced Brown belts and higher get in free! No sparring gear or uniform is needed.

Advanced Board Breaking Seminar Friday, May 1st 5:30–7:30 PM

Attending one Advanced Seminar is required for all students

Advanced Brown Belt and higher. This seminar will focus on:

Advanced breaking theory & instruction

Holding boards instruction & practice

Explanation of advanced breaking requirements

If you’d like to expand your ability and perform spectacular breaks,

attend as many board breaking seminars as you can.

Summer Camp

June 22nd-26th 9:00 AM-3:30 PM

July 20th-24th 9:00 AM-3:30 PM

August 17th-21st 9:00 AM-3:30 PM

Summer camp is a highly recommended event for development in the Martial Arts. Year after year, we see shining examples of advancement from the students that attend. Participants make rapid progress on the requirements needed for their next rank and improve their skills. We’re able to spend a prolonged amount of time on each aspect of training. We focus on character development and working together in teams. Students come out of Camp feeling a closer connection to the School and their fellow classmates, and often with a newfound sense of motivation to achieve big things at TMA. Discounts are available if you sign up for more than 1 camp.

2015 Taekwondo Test Schedule *Dates and times are subject to change

April Test Friday, April 24th

White, Advanced White & Yellow Belt: 5:30 PM

Advanced Yellow Belt and higher: 6:30 PM

May Black Belt Testing Weekend Red Belt and higher: Friday, May 15th 6 PM

White-Adv Green Belt: Saturday, May 16th 3:15 PM

Blue Belt & higher: Saturday, May 16th 5 PM

June Test Friday, June 12th White, Advanced White & Yellow Belt: 5:30 PM


July Test Friday, July 24th White, Advanced White & Yellow Belt: 5:30 PM


August Test Friday, August 21st White, Advanced White & Yellow Belt: 5:30 PM


September Test Friday, September 25th White, Advanced White & Yellow Belt: 5:30 PM


October Black Belt Testing Weekend Red Belt and higher: Friday, October 23rd 6 PM White-Adv Green Belt: Saturday, October 24th 3:15 PM

Blue Belt & higher: Saturday, October 24th 5 PM

November Test Friday, November 20th White, Advanced White & Yellow Belt: 5:30 PM


December Test Friday, December 11th White, Advanced White & Yellow Belt: 5:30 PM


Instructor News Welcome Nikki Boelitz and Shiksha Arun as our newest

Assistant Instructor interns.

Congrats to Yury Sudzilouski who was promoted from

Assistant Instructor Intern to Assistant Instructor.

Congrats to Meghana Amruthur, Emma Hattori, Amogh

Karanth, Ashvin Sriram, and Berkeley Smith who were

promoted from Assistant Instructor to Instructor.

Congrats to Vinny Palaniappan and Phillipa Poznanski

who recently became Senior Instructor Trainees.

Congrats to Lisa Auerbach who is promoted from Senior

Instructor Trainee to Senior Instructor.

Instructor of the Quarter Name: YDJN Lauren Wolfe

Age: 18

Rank: 1st Degree Black belt

How long training? 8 years

How long teaching? 4 years

Favorite Martial Arts move:

Roundhouse kick

Favorite thing about Martial

Arts? Teaching! I love it so

much!

Favorite thing outside of

Martial Arts? Be outside and

enjoy nature.

What is your Martial Arts goal? 2nd Degree Black Belt

How has Martial Arts helped you? It’s made me a better and

stronger person, both physically and mentally.

Favorite thing about teaching martial arts? Seeing my

students improve in their training and grow as martial artists and

individuals.

Parking/Waiting Request Please respect our neighbors across the way and do not park (or

idle) in the Pine Lake Professional Center parking lot before 6

PM. Also, please do not park in the spots that designated for use

by the Dentist next door. These parking spaces are marked for

use by dental patients only. We know that parking and drop-off

can be a little tricky and we appreciate your patience and efforts

to help True Martial Arts be a good neighbor to the other local

businesses around us!

Interested in Teaching? To be eligible for a teaching internship at TMA you must qualify

through one of the following conditions: 1) Be at least 13 years old

and a Blue Belt in Taekwondo. 2) Be a Red belt in Taekwondo

(any age). To begin just ask for an Instructors manual at the front

desk, study it and then setup a meeting to go over it with GJN

Zoppi.

What is a teaching internship? You begin as an instructor in

training whose main job is to assist the Instructor of the class.

The duties are 1) Giving new students their orientation lesson. 2)

Leading a group through drills when delegated to do so by the

Instructor. 3) Leading the warm-ups. 4) Focusing on attention to

detail to individual students.

Please keep your voice down as you are waiting for your class or exiting the school. The classes in session will appreciate it!

Students and instructors, families and friends came together for the 26th Annual SBN Thomas Zoppi Championships on Saturday, March 28th at Skyline High School. In what is dubbed as “our biggest event of the year”, this Martial Arts tournament again l ived up to it’s moniker as their ways tons of people there competing and cheering. About 320 participants from Northwest School of Martial Arts (Stanwood), True Martial Arts-Overlake (Redmond), Trinity Martial Arts (Redmond Ridge) and True Martial Arts-Pine Lake (Sammamish) competed in Form and Sparring.

During the transition from Form to Sparring competition, demonstration teams from Trinity Martial Arts, TMA-Overlake and TMA-Sammamish performed. Demonstartion team members from our school included: Jeremy Kaelin, Sammy Ballata, Allex Ballata, Cameron Stuart, Michael Ko, Jillian Kent-Dobias, Steven Ko, and Jacob Kicha. Each school put forth great effort in the Team Sparring competition, with our school earning 1st place and winning the title and keeping the trophy for the 5th year in a row. Our team included Isaac Cardwell, Peyton Hutchinson, Vinny Palaniappan, Sammy Ballata and Jeremy Kaelin.

Gratitude goes out to our Tournament announcers and directors Clint Smith, Jonathan Luz, and Jimmy Ko. Our Audio Director Jeff Chelgren, Judges/Scorekeepers Director Nicole Smelson, Volunteers Director Maddie Harig and Concession Director Angie Zoppi. Thank you to everyone tha\]t helped with registration, concessions, setup, cleanup, transporting equipment, staging, ring running, scoring, timekeeping, and judging. A big thank you to our Tournament Executives Trisha Ballata, Jennifer Berg, Laurel Zoppi, Skyler Zoppi and David Barrett for planning and organizing the tournament.

Created Forms- How to By GJN Skyler Zoppi

Once you achieve Advanced Red belt, you get to create your own form. As the Chief Instructor at our school since 2007, I’ve overseen about 100 students as they tested for their Black Belt. I can tell you that almost everybody puts creating their form off until it’s one of the last things they need to get done. For many of us, we have no problem learning something that is already established, but creating can be a different story. And that is why creating your own form is one of my favorite requirements that we have at TMA. It pushes many people out of their comfort zone, especially adults and allows us to express ourselves through Martial Arts.

There are simple guidelines to follow that are listed on the requirement sheet: Must be about 30 moves, end where it begins, and have symmetrical movements in it. Must have a Korean name. But beyond that, the rest is up to you. This following advice can be put to use for your Taekwondo created form in addition to later on for your creative weapons forms.

Tell a story: The first thing you have to know is that a good form tells an artful story. It’s not just a bunch of random moves consecutively strung together. You are telling the story of a great battle. When I say artful, that means feel free to embellish. Your techniques can be practical but they should express movement beyond mundane. Remember: we are doing a Martial Art not a Martial Science. Martial Science would probably tell you in a great battle to drop a grenade and run! ;) Also Remember: Martial Arts is about self defense. Most forms start with a block or a guard. You don’t just go out and starting whoopin’ some tail. Think about defense first and counter-striking second.

Chumbi and Baro: Chumbi means ready. Baro means return. Start your form in a ready stance and when your form is done, return in the same way. It is how you start and finish. Give it some thought. Don’t minimize the importance of your first and last impression.

Do what you’re good it: Do you have a lot of power? Are you a great leaper? A high kicker? What do you do well? Figure it out and make that a prominent part of your form. At the same time, avoid your weaknesses. For example: if you barely get off the ground when do flying kicks, I would advise against putting a bunch of them in your form.

Make it challenging, but know your limits: This is your form to test for Black Belt. It is your signature statement. It should look like it. Challenge yourself. Go for it. Think of the Olympic gymnast on the balance beam that wants to show all the cool and different ways she can flip and jump around on and off that thing….not just how she can walk across to the other side and call it good. Don’t overextend yourself, know your limits. There is a fine line between doing something challenging and looking amazing and doing something challenging and looking like you got too ambitious for your own good.

Create, don’t regurgitate: Your creation should express yourself in a way we’ve never seen before. Taking existing form basics, kicks and sparring combos and putting them in a different order is not creating, it’s recycling.

Vary your cadence: Change the speeds of your movements. Some moves can be strung together lightning fast. You can use tension to slow it down. You can use soft. You can use hard. You can use long. You can use short and quick. Think of how Beethoven composed his music. Vary your sections like a composer.

End strong: Think of a grand finale in a fireworks show. Leave your audience with something memorable that makes them say ‘Wow’! What will be your finishing move?

TRI-MAXX IN APRIL: The TriMAXX is a “triathlon of fitness classes”. It’s a well-rounded endurance fitness

challenge that’s a fun, fat burning, sweat dripping workout in 3 unique workout segments, each 45 minutes

in length. Each workout segment features a different class that we offer, such as Cardio Kickboxing,

Cardio Strength, etc. Register for this special event in the lobby. There’s a discount if you sign up with a

partner! It takes place on Saturday, April 25th from 8:00 - 10:15 AM.

MONTHLY MEMBERSHIPS AVAILABLE: If you attend regularly or would like to, here’s a way to get more bang for your buck. An unlimited membership auto pay option is $69/month or $59/month for TMA students. You can put a one month hold on your membership for $10. To be eligible for the membership option, you are permitted two holds per calendar year. Membership applies to regular classes; no special events. Ask for the Monthly Membership form at the front desk.

SUPER CARDIO KICKBOXING CLASS: Join us Saturday, April 18th for a special 1.5 hour class starting at 8 AM. We offer Super Classes on the 3rd Saturday of every month. There’s no additional fee for the extra half hour. If you have to leave at the regular time, 9 AM, that is ok too!

SPRING CLASS SCHEDULE: As April arrives, so does our Spring class schedule on Monday, April 13th after the week of Spring Break. Your feedback is always welcome on what class you’d like to try next!

FREGUENT FITNESS REWARD: If you attend 10 classes during any month, you get a reward. We will either add a punch to your card or give you 10% off your next monthly membership fee. Experts weigh in on how many times a week you should work out, but one given we know is that the amount of exercise you need depends on the type of lifestyle you want to maintain.

APRIL AWARENESS MONTH: Instead of a physical challenge to do each day in April, my challenge to you is to check out our Facebook post every day to see a new quote or musing to help ground you and become more aware of mind, body and spirit. Join us for a different kind of challenge this month. Find us at: facebook.com/maxxfitsammamish

Instructors are subject to change “Rotation’ or multiple instructors listed reflect alternating instructors (not always successive)

Cardio Kickboxing (CK) Exciting fast-paced workout that’s a combination of aerobics, boxing, and martial arts.

CK + Circuit Quick bursts of exercises using frequent repetitions targeting different muscle groups.

CK + Core CK and extra emphasis on building core strength and toning your mid-section.

MaxxBag Heavy emphasis on hitting bags with martial arts & boxing combinations. High calorie burn.

Cardio Strength Boot camp-style class utilizes high intensity interval training (HIIT) and circuit training

Zumba Toning Internationally inspired dance fitness with targeted toning using light weights. Easy to follow!

MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 6AM CK

Angie

6AM CK

Angie

6AM Cardio Strength

Angie

8AM CK

Rotation

9:30AM CK

Jennifer

9:30AM CK+Core

Debbie

9:30AM CK+Circuit

Stacia

9:30 AM CK

Tammi

9:30AM MaxxBag

Stacia/Angie

9:30 AM Zumba Toning

Jeanell 9:30 AM Zumba Toning

Jeanell 11AM Zumba

Jeanell

7:15PM CK

Kirsten 7:15PM CK

Jennifer

Spring Class Schedule Starts April 13th

Days & Times Age Group Classroom Availability # on Wait List

Level 1 Beginners (White, Advanced White and Yellow Belts)

Wednesday 9:30-10:15 AM Pee Wee Kickers Room A 7 openings AVAILABLE

Wednesday 3:00-3:45 PM Pee Wee Kickers Room A 1 opening AVAILABLE

Saturday 9:00-9:45 AM Pee Wee Kickers Room A 3 openings AVAILABLE

Wednesday 3:15-3:55 PM Ages 5-7 Room C WAIT LIST 4

Monday/Wednesday 4:00-4:40 PM Ages 5-7 Room C 2 openings AVAILABLE


Monday/Wednesday 5:30-6:10 PM Ages 7-12 Room C WAIT LIST 0


Tuesday/Thursday 4:00-4:40 PM Ages 5-12 Room C WAIT LIST 1

Tuesday/Thursday 5:30-6:10 PM Ages 5-12 Room C WAIT LIST 0

Tuesday/Thursday 7:00-7:55 PM Teen/Adult Room B 1 opening AVAILABLE

Wednesday/Friday 10:30-11:45 AM Teen/Adult Room B 9 openings AVAILABLE

Monday/Wednesday 6:15-6:55 PM All Ages Room C WAIT LIST 4

Monday/Wednesday 7:00-7:40 PM All Ages Room C 1 opening AVAILABLE

Tuesday/Thursday 6:15-6:55 PM All Ages Room C WAIT LIST 3

Level 2 (Advanced Yellow, Green and Advanced Green Belts)

Monday/Wednesday 4:00-4:40 PM Youth Room A WAIT LIST 7



Tuesday/Thursday 4:00-4:40 PM Youth Room B 5 openings AVAILABLE

Tuesday/Thursday 5:00-5:40 PM Youth Room A WAIT LIST 2



Tuesday/Thursday 7:00-7:55 PM Teen/Adult Room B 2 openings AVAILABLE


Monday/Wednesday 6:15-6:55 PM All Ages Room A WAIT LIST 4

Level 3 (Blue, Advanced Blue and Brown Belts)

Monday/Wednesday 4:00-4:55 PM Youth Room B 6 openings AVAILABLE

Tuesday/Thursday 4:00-4:55 PM Youth Room A 4 openings AVAILABLE

Tuesday/Thursday 4:45-5:40 PM Youth Room B WAIT LIST 1


Tuesday/Thursday 8:00-9:10 PM Teen/Adult Room B WAIT LIST 0


Monday/Wednesday 7:00-7:55 PM All Ages Room A 1 opening AVAILABLE

Level 4 Blackcats (Advanced Brown, Red and Advanced Red Belts)

Monday/Wednesday 5:00-6:10 PM Youth Room B WAIT LIST 2

Tuesday/Thursday 8:00-9:10 PM Teen/Adult Room B WAIT LIST 0


Monday/Wednesday 6:15-7:25 PM All Ages Room B 4 openings AVAILABLE

Tuesday/Thursday 5:45-6:55 PM All Ages Room B 5 openings AVAILABLE

Level 5 Bigdogs (Black Belts)

Monday/Wednesday 7:30-9:00 PM Teen/Adult Room B WAIT LIST 0

By Tarushi Verma

I remember starting Tae Kwon Do when I was just in kindergarten. I used to attend a

class in the mornings at my elementary school. SBN Laurel Zoppi used to be my

head instructor and she taught me a lot. Since I was 5 years old, I was very shy and

was just learning the basics of Tae Kwon Do. I just thought of it as a fun workout.

Then I passed my white and advanced white belt test and was introduced to the real

True Martial Arts School. I saw many instructors with ranks higher than 1st degree

black belt. I started coming to TMA and learned that Tae Kwon Do was more than fun.

Training there taught me discipline, dedication, and respect as well as other important

life skills.

I remember watching my instructors showing off their forms with great power, energy,

and confidence. I was truly fascinated and inspired. After constantly watching those

higher in rank than me and my instructor. I wanted to achieve me black belt even

more.

It’s been about 9 years since I’ve been training. Training at TMA for this long taught

me a thousand times more than just doing what was told. Our mental requirements

for every rank taught me to respect everyone around me. I have also seen many

changes in myself since I started training. I used to be shy, but now I’ve become more confident. This confidence also helped

me learn leadership qualities. Also, I have become more disciplined and sincere towards almost everything I do.

Physically, I am stronger and am in better condition. Training taught me to be aware of my surroundings and helped me sharpen

my reflex skills. Training has also helped me a lot mentally. It helped me to be able to face challenges head on and to never give

up in any situation.

A real-life example was when my mom got diagnosed with cancer last year. I felt crushed, like all my happiness was fading

away. I was very worried about my mom. Training helped me keep my mental state strong for my family. My instructors always

tell me that I am stronger than the drill whenever I’m having trouble doing something. I passed the “never give up” attitude to my

mom consistently through the treatment. I told her every day that she was stronger than the disease.

Seeing my mom become stronger during the treatment helped my family and I battle through this. Now my mom is cured and is

recovering. During my mom’s treatment, I missed many weeks of training and a lot of the classmates that used to be the same

rank as me, moved on. Now that my mom’s heath is improving, I am coming back, and am slowly conditioning myself back to the

physical state I used to be in.

The skills that I learned during the time I have been at TMA are helping me now and will be in the future. It is also helping to

mold myself to have a good character. This also inspires me to become a better person. These are the qualities that I consider

the black belt way.

Tarushi Verma was promoted to 1st degree Black belt in October of 2014. She’s 14-years-old and a freshman at Skyline

High School who has been training for 9 years. She’s an Assistant Instructor who was also named Assiant Instructor

Intern of the year for 2014. Tarushi’s brother Kush is a Red Belt at TMA.

“Your black belt test is your Olympics. From the first day you stepped on the mat, you began preparing for your test, whether you

were aware of it or not. On the day you test for your black belt, you want to be at your absolute best, your peak; and going

through the test should be like crawling through a long tunnel between one world and the next, like a birth; a rebirth. When you

come to the other side, you should be changed; from that day on you are a new person. When you practice your martial arts,

whether you’re in your first week of lessons or a veteran of a thousand classes, knowing your test is coming up, that you are

preparing yourself, that that day’s training session is connected to your test, gives you direction. You train with intention, with

purpose and a sense of mission.” - Tom Callos, Martial Arts Industry Writer

black belt promotions -...

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