February News

A full house of spectators enjoyed taekwondo kicks, forms and board breaking during Stevens Taekwondo Academy belt promotion testing at the Stevens Point YMCA recently. More than fifty color belts and five black belts displayed their improved skills and earned new belt levels.

Justin Green achieved fourth dan black belt status with an impressive demonstration of seven forms including pyongwon, advanced kick combinations and an excellent sparring round. Green also broke 4 concrete blocks with his forearm.

Mark Regnitz,, Thomas Lima, Laura Borth and Riley Drechsler earned first degree black belts in a comprehensive oral exam, advanced sparring and kick combinations and performance of koryo and four taebek forms. Regnitz, sponsored by his son second degree black belt Dylan Regnitz, used a 360 side kick for his board break. Second degree black belt Bri Tarpey sponsored Lima, who executed an impressive back spinning hook kick speed break on his board. Borth cleanly snapped her board with a 360 back spinning sidekick after her sponsorship by third degree Kyle Mealy, her most recent instructor. Drechsler broke her board with a double switching high front kick. She was sponsored by her instructor, third degree black belt Steve Decker.

Three other students were recognized for excellence in testing. High green belt Andrew Cameron won the first place trophy, yellow belt Jill Miller earned second place and new red belt Charley Neufeld took home the third place trophy.

Master instructor Dwight Stevens judged the testing, assisted by senior masters Mark Henkel and Bill Dragolovich.

Masterful Self-Defense:
Grandmaster Dwight Stevens, senior master Bill Dragolovich and master Dan Zierke presented a free self-defense class at UW-Stevens Point.

YMCA STA Class Schedule:

February 21 First class Spring session
February 23: 8 p.m. make-up testing
March 20 & 22 No classes--UW/YMCA Spring Break
April 5 Last class of Spring session
April 10 & 12 No classes
April 15 Belt promotion testing, 1 p.m. YMCA gym
April 17 First class Summer I session
May 24 Last class Summer I session
June 5 First class Summer II session
June 10 Belt promotion testing, 1 p.m., APR
July 12 Last class Summer II session
July 17 & 19 No classes
July 24 First class Summer III session
August 12 (tentative) Belt promotional testing 1 p.m. APR
August 30 Last class of Summer III session

Neuroscience and martial Arts Training

Recent neuroscience research into the brain function of elite athletes, detailed in the January 14, 2012 issue of Science News, validates traditional martial arts teaching methods and gives hope to novices aiming to improve.

Taekwondo and other martial arts require constant and continued practice of the basic kicks and blocks which combine into forms and sparring techniques. Several researchers are clarifying why that practice makes things work.

Using functional MRI scans on athletes’ brains has allowed John Milton, a neuroscientist at the Claremont Colleges in California, to identify the areas of the brain utilized while performing or planning specific actions, like a golf swing. Professional golfers show far more localized activity, beginners show dispersed activity.

To reach this more subconscious control of a complex movement, Milton explains athletes must rehearse, train repeatedly and develop the nerve connections needed for precise motor control. Sounds a lot like Dr. Stevens saying “Practice, practice, practice” doesn’t it?

These studies also support the claim that practice of forms improves focus, since Milton sees the less dispersed brain activity as indicating that the experts don’t get bogged down by extraneous information, as ‘in the zone’ they ignore the rest and focus.

There’s an additional factor at work in the benefit of training repetition, according to Daniel Wolpert of the University of Cambridge, England. He describes the nervous system interaction with the musculoskeletal system as flawed with transmission errors along the way causing sensory ‘static’ varying in degree by genetic inheritance.

The good news? Wolpert says anyone can “train muscles and refine a way of moving that reduces the bad consequences of the noise that already there.” So with persistence and indomitable spirit, anyone can improve performance.

Another element of martial arts training has traditionally been watching others perform both basics, forms and sparring. Even when the body is still, the brains of observers show neural activity similar to actually effecting the motions. Salvatore Aglioti of Sapienza University (Rome) says this mirror neural activity is the brains’ way of simulating the motion, “a system for matching what you do with what you see others doing.”

So to the speed up that kick, perfect that form or improve sparring, those traditional training methods are just what all these doctors would order. Practice and continue to practice, watch and try to focus on both doing and seeing. Those taekwondo masters know how to teach!

Schedule Reminder:

Sunday, February 12-- 1 pm belt promotion testing at Stevens Point YMCA
--no classes February 14 & 16
February 21 -- first class of new session

S

More than ninety Stevens Taekwondo Academy students achieved new belt levels in testing held recently at the YMCA. The large December turnout included nine martial artists of all ages earning new or advanced black belts.

Earning bo dan (deputy) black belts were Dennis Freund, Al Jankowski, Andrew Krause, Brian Gibbs, Alexander Prevost, ten-year-old Bryton Stewart and nine-year-old Macey Shutter. Their testing including performing advanced kick combinations, sparring and five taegeuk forms. Freund, Jankowski, Krause, Gibbs and Stewart all succeeded in breaking boards immediately with back spinning side kicks. Bryton Stewart is the grandson of black belt Guy Stewart. Shutter and Prevost showed perseverance with their kicks, breaking boards with a back spinning hook and back spinning side kick respectively.

Kimberly Nummelin, bride of third-degree black belt Ben Nummelin, and Benjamin Goodberlet earned first-degree black belts with impressive performances in advanced techniques, sparring and koryo and four taegeuk forms. Nummelin snapped her board easily with a flying side kick, jumping over three people, and Goodberlet used a back spinning hook kick in a speed break. The duo also answered numerous questions on the history of taekwondo and its tenets in public examination.

Three color belt students were recognized from the large number testing as performing with excellence. New blue belt Katie Heath won first place, new green belt Cally Baroni took second place and Julia Neufeld earned third place and high green belt.

Vern Lovejoy, fifth-degree black belt, was selected as black belt of the year. In his absence, his daughter Elizabeth, third-degree black belt, accepted the plaque honoring the memory of M. J. Attoe, from Attoe’s mother, Joyce Kavalaskas. Other nominees for the award were Steve Decker, instructor at both Port Edwards and Wausau schools, and new black belt Dennis Freund.

The martial artists at the testing included students from the UW-Stevens Point taekwondo program, YMCA Stevens Taekwondo Academy and STA branch schools in Stevens Point, Port Edwards and Wausau. The testing was judged by Grandmaster Dwight Stevens, assisted by senior masters Mark and Hilde Henkel.


Black Belt News

The annual Black Belt Christmas party was held the evening before testing at the Boston School forest. In addition to the friendship and great food, the fascinating displays of knot, tree types and stuffed wildlife (even a musk ox!) were very interesting, and the crackling fire set a very nice mood.

Despite a lack of snow, Santa visited the party, to the delight of the smaller guests, who asked Santa for an assortment of gifts, ranging from a bike to a candy cane! This year’s piñata resisted the efforts of the youngsters until Ben Strojny helped them out with a powerful kick.

Many black belts contributed to the gifts for Dr. Stevens, and Sr. Master Karen Johnson made all the arrangements for the location. Thanks and Merry Christmas to all.

December 2, 2011

Students at the YMCA classes are
privileged to receive instruction
directly from grandmaster Dwight Stevens.
Here he works with a large white belt group
on basic blocking techniques.



Tournament Results

Local taekwondo students fared well at a recent tournament earning nine first place trophies. Stevens Taekwondo Academy students from four local programs participated at the Mid-Wisconsin Taekwondo Championships, held in Wisconsin Rapids.

Blue belt Matthew Whitley swept the 14-17 year-old division, taking first place in sparring, forms and breaking.

Representation in the mini-peewee division was especially strong with red belt Isaac Williams taking first place in forms and in breaking, snapping boards with a back spinning hook kick and a back spinning side kick. High red belt Macey Shutter took second place in breaking and forms in the same division, with a third place in sparring. Red belt Cody Olski placed third in forms and sparring with a fourth place in breaking, and high yellow belt Michael Skerven grabbed the first place for sparring, second in forms and fourth in breaking.

In the micro- peewee division, Maddie Skerven, yellow belt, won first place in breaking, second in sparring and third in forms, with Isaac Witte, yellow belt, taking second in breaking, third in sparring and fourth in forms. Isabella Cornell, also a yellow belt, participating in her first tournament won second place in sparring, and fourth place in both forms and breaking.

In the adult men’s color belt division, blue belt Stephon Freeman won first place in sparring and board breaking and third place in forms.

Competing in the tough adult black belt division, fourth dan black belt Scott Smith earned a second place in forms, and third in both sparring and breaking.

Senior master Karen Johnson and third dan black belt Stephen Decker trained these students at programs including the UW-Stevens Point taekwondo and Stevens Taekwondo Academy schools in Stevens Point, the South Wood County YMCA and the Woodson YMCA.

The Mid-Wisconsin Taekwondo Championships were held at the Mid-State Technical College in Wisconsin Rapids and presented by Park Institute with Master John Chrystal serving as tournament director.

Black Belt Christmas Party

The Stevens Taekwondo Academy Black Belt Party will take place on Dec. 10. while local, active black belts are given or get mailed invitations all black belts are welcome, if they make a reservation with Master Hilde or Master Johnson by December 6. Contact us for details and directions.

October Testing and News

More than seventy Stevens Taekwondo Academy students tested successfully at the Stevens Point YMCA recently, including six students achieving black belts.

Xichen Cheng, Benjamin Strojny, Ginny Neufeld, Peter Clark and Reed Kolby Davis earned first degree black belts with their demonstrations of koryo and four taegeuk forms, advanced kick combinations and advanced sparring techniques. All five faced oral examination on the details of taekwondo tenets and history. Strojny smashed his board with a back spinning side kick on the first attempt. Cheng, Neufeld and Clark also used back spinning sidekicks on their board breaks. Davis broke a board with a flying side kick.

Julie Shutter achieved deputy black belt with her performance of five taegeuk forms, kick combinations and sparring. She broke a board with a jumping back spinning side kick.

Trophies for excellence in testing went to green belt Lloyd Graff, first place, blue belt Stephanie Tank, second place, and high green belt Kasen Davis, third place. The testing was judged by grandmaster Dwight Stevens, assisted by senior masters Mark Henkel and Bill Dragolovich.

Black Belt News

Black belts Benjamin Nummelin and Kimberly Richardson were married today, October 15, at Powers Bluff Park in a lovely outdoor setting. The weather was cool, windy and sunny for a beautiful background. Ben and Kimberly met through taekwondo.

Reminder: The December testing is scheduled for December 11, preceded by the black belt Christmas party on December 10. Volunteers for organization or gift suggestions are always welcome.

August Testing and News

PLEASE NOTE YMCA schedule change: The YMCA class for August 23 will be held in the gym and the class for August 25 is postponed to September 6, due to repair and refinishing work at the Y.


August Testing
More than thirty Stevens Taekwondo Academy students successfully tested for new belt levels Sunday at the YMCA, including three for black belt levels.

Eleven-year-old Arrington Polman earned his third dan black belt as he demonstrated the taebek form, sparring, and kick combinations before snapping a board with a back spinning hook kick.

Sister Annika Polman, 14 years old, tested for second dan black belt as she performed advanced kick combinations, sparring and a very sharp keumgang form. She will break at a future time.

Thirteen year old Riley Drechsler moved into the black belts ranks as a deputy black belt, following her demonstration of five taegeuk forms, advanced kick combinations and sparring. She broke her board with a 360 roundhouse.

Two trophies for excellence in testing were awarded. Green belt Eric Hendrickson took first place and high green belt Matthew Whitley earned second place.

The testing was judged by Grandmaster Dwight Stevens, and masters Mark Henkel, Bill Dragolovich and visiting master Dr. Matt Ford of Cincinnati.




Other News

Krazy Days Demo: This outdoors demonstration, led by Master Kim Buehler and Master Karrie Lane, on an extremely hot and humid day, included an abbreviated warm-up, combos, bag techniques, poomsae, sparring and board breaking. The participants were: Mandi Hoppa, Bridgette Williams, Kaitlyn Faulks, Bryant Hendrington, Ben Strojny, Annika Polman, Arrington Polman, and JP Bunn.

Healthy Heros Mini-Class: Master Kim Buehler led mini-classes two days at the Central Wisconsin Children's Museums for their Healthy Heroes week. Participants were: Lauren Shimalunas, Annika & Arrington Polman, Isaac Williams, Shelby Finnessy, and JP Bunn. Master Buehler included a quick warm-up, basic kicks, bag work, demonstration by red and black belts of more advanced kicks on the focus paddle,. Tap-tap sparring finished off the class.

Cody Olski in Taekwondo Junior Olympics: Nine-year-old Cody Olski was the only Wisconsin competitor the Taekwondo Junior Olympics (for 6 to 17 year olds) this summer. Olski, a blue belt student of Mr. Stephen Decker in Port Edwards, traveled to San Jose California to compete in sparring. On June 28, Cody‘s first match went into sudden death overtime, with a loss only 15 seconds before the end of the match.
Showing indomitable spirit, Cody was not crushed by the defeat.
"When I first started, I didn't think I would make it this far," Cody said.
After the event, Cody was featured in a news piece on WAOW, Channel 9. He had qualified for the tourney at the Minnesota State Championships sponsored by World Taekwondo Academy.

Dr. Tom Lisack featured in Wausau Daily Herald: Second dan Dr. Tom Lisack was featured in the Wausau Daily Herald on August 5 In the interview, Lisack spoke of how he worked out in taekwondo during his work on his doctorate in English education, finding it to be a physical test and good escape from that work. See the whole article by Jake Miller at:
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20110807/WDH04/108070341/Boomer-Q-Educator-follows-own-advice-sets-high-goals-himself

Senior Master John Henkel married: Many STA black belts were in attendance when John Henkel, son of senior masters Mark and Hilde Henkel, married Evelyn Williams in Minneapolis July 9. John’s brother, senior master Jim Henkel was the best man. The bride is a black belt through the UW-Madison University Taekwondo Club. The reception was enhanced by the couple’s performance of koryo and the opportunity to break a board as the trigger for the couple kissing. Black belts assisted in instruction and board holding for non-martial artists. The couple will live in Palatine IL, where John is an engineer in research and development for Motorola. Evelyn is completing her doctorate in botany this fall.

Steve Decker now a Dad: Third dan black belt Stephen Decker took on a whole new role on August 7 with the birth of Timothy Stephen Decker, who weighed in at 8 lbs and 4 oz, and measured in at a whopping 22 inches long. Both Timothy and mother Brooke are doing fine and attended the beginning of testing to show us their family addition.

Next Generation: The children of masters Justin and Kim Buehler and master Karrie and Jeff Lane also participated in the board breaking at the Henkel wedding. They broke boards very credibly!