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News
| Congratulations to All KMAI Dover Summer Blast Winners
This years summer blast in KMAI Dover was our best year yet. Mr. Preece issued over 3,000 tickets for student accomplisments over the summer months. As a direct result KMAI Dover is happy to welcome over twenty new students into the fold.
The Winners Were....
The Karate Kid on DVD: Zach Boulter, Nick Martino, Zai Cook, Dan Eichler, and Kiarra Matos (not pictured)
20th Anniversary Sweatshirt: Deanna Henry
World Tang Soo Do Textbooks Vol. I-IV: Heather Martino
Personalized Uniform: Orion Mason (not pictured)
XMA Demo Sword: Sommer Bedford
XMA Elite Weapons Package: Zach Boulter
Congratulations to all of the winners. We look forward to another spirited contest in 2009!!!
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| KMAI Demo Team performing on Father’s Day Weekend at Blue Rocks Stadium!
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| June 9, 2008
Noonan: For Soul's Save, it's all about the hands
When it comes to football,
it's usually the wide receivers who worry about their hands.
But good hands are also handy things to have for a defensive
lineman, as Bryan Save has discovered.
Save (pronounced Saa-vay) is a defensive tackle for the
Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League and he's
having the best season of his career, despite missing three
games with a biceps injury.
Save credits his success
to a martial arts instructor in Delaware, a man who taught
him the value of being a hands-on player.
Save -- who was born in Hawaii, grew up in California and
went to college in Colorado -- started every game for the
Soul last season and finished with four sacks while making
the AFL all-rookie team. In 11 games this season, Save has
51¼2 sacks, eighth in the league. The Soul (11-3)
have two regular-season games left, following a 71-64 victory
over the Dallas Desperado on Saturday night
Save lived for a year in
a Greenville townhouse while he took martial arts classes
from Master Erwin Waters of the Korean Martial Arts Institute
in Wilmington.
"I knew I had to do something different than the usual
offseason conditioning stuff, because I was looking for
ways to improve my game,'' Save said. "And for somebody
who plays my position in this [passing-oriented] league,
that means getting after the quarterback.
"I had heard from different people that martial arts can help, that it shows you how little things can make a big difference. So, I started to shop around, and that's when I found out about [Waters].''
The 37-year-old Waters, a native of Hockessin, has been involved with martial arts for more than 20 years. He played high school football at Hodgson, so he understood what Save was trying to do and why.
"At first, we just started him with the same instruction we give all of our students, to give him a feel for martial arts and our methods of teaching and to get his body used to it,'' Waters said. "Then we tailored it to his specific needs, which mostly had to do with hand speed and body leverage, things he needed to do to beat blocks and get to the quarterback.
"And he was gung-ho right from the start, which is something you love as an instructor. He listened and soaked up everything and he was also patient, which is something a lot of students have trouble with."
Save -- who had cups of coffee with the Colts, 49ers, Ravens and Bucs -- said he noticed the difference after a few training camp sessions with the Soul.
"It took me a little while to be able to do it without having to think about it,'' he said. "Once I was able to just play with my instincts, instead of having to think my way through everything, my game improved dramatically.''
At least until he partially tore a biceps a month ago. His coach, Bret Munsey, said it wasn't a coincidence the Soul lost two of those three games.
"With him in the game, we definitely get more pressure on the quarterback,'' Munsey told reporters after the Soul lost to Kansas City last week.
As far as Save is concerned, the timing of his return is perfect. Before Saturday night, Dallas led the division by a game over the Soul. The Soul's victory pulls the rival teams -- both of whom have clinched playoff spots -- into a tie at 11-3.
"I hate Dallas,'' he said. "They just have a cocky attitude about them and I love beating them. And I know our fans hate Dallas, too. I'm sure a lot of that is a carry-over from the Eagles and Cowboys.
"I didn't know anything about that rivalry before I got here,'' he added. "But it didn't take long for me to pick up on it. I guess it doesn't matter what league it is, Philadelphia just doesn't like Dallas.''
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The Philadelphia Soul's Bryan Save spent the offseason training with a martial arts instructor in Delaware.
Courtesy of the Philadelphia
Soul
The Philadelphia Soul's Bryan Save goes after Dallas Desperados quarterback Clint Dolezel. Save has 5 1/2 sacks through 11 games this season.
Courtesy of Philadelphia Soul
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| KMAI Instructors train with USPS Inspectors
On April 15th the instructors
of the Korean Martial Arts Institute were invited to take
part in an advanced weapons training program with the Police
Inspector division of the United States Post Office.
The United States Postal Inspection Service is one of the
nation’s first police forces, older than both the
FBI and the Secret Service.
KMAI New Garden student Keith
Salter is the director of training for this regions USPS
Police force; and as a former narcotics officer is uniquely
qualified to provide the highest level of instruction. This
training exercise was designed for education on firearms
safety and tactical weapons defense. Once the classroom
portion of the training was complete, it was time to get
some firsthand experience firing the very weapons the Inspectors
use in the field. KMAI’s instructors had a great time
utilizing a variety of handguns, shotguns and fully automatic
sub machine guns. The training was an informative way to
acquire the knowledge necessary to provide a superior level
of safety instruction to our students.
KMAI would like to thank all of the officers for their
professionalism and helpful instruction.
For more information about the USPS Inspection service
please visit the following link:
http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/
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| Master Godwin in Blackbelt Magazine
Defender of Tang Soo Do Forms
By: Floyd Burk
“What you see is what
you get” is a common attitude martial artists have
about forms, which is why many people see them as empty
sequences of movements with nothing to offer in the way
of combat prowess. Conversely, other people look at dorms
as a vast repository of knowledge and techniques.
John Godwin, a tang soo do
expert from Bear, Delaware, belongs to the second group,
and he values forms dearly. He believes that they have unlimited
potential and that more martial artists ought to take advantage
of the wisdom they contain.
“A primary goal of
tang soo do study and practice is to become one with nature,
which is interpreted as becoming one with out human nature
and the untapped potential that lies in each individual,”
Godwin says. “The umyang symbol displayed on the Korean
flag represents the theory of a world of two opposite yet
complementary and harmonious parts. By maintaining a balance
between those parts – which is where the life force
and nature spring from – a person can tap into this
potential. This belief should be transferred to our practice
and interpretation of traditional tang soo do forms.”
Twenty-five empty-hand and
weapons forms make up the curriculum that Godwin practices.
“They provide you with a vast number of responses
for and self-defense situation,” he says. Godwin advises
students to think of those responses as tools: the more
you know, the more choices you have for finding the right
one in a given situation. Godwin believes that the number
of forms you know isn’t as important as the depth
of your understanding of the ones you’ve memorized
– which is needed before you can apply their movements
in self-defense. Therefore, he advises, you should look
deeply into the forms you know, performing countless repetitions
and always contemplating the possible applications. As you
gain an understanding of leverage, circular motion and centrifugal
force, your overall fighting ability will grow.
Godwin says that when it
comes to applications, keeping an open mind is essential.
“You wouldn’t limit the use of a set of wrenches
to the way they’re ordered in the package,”
he says. “You’d use the wrench that fits the
situation at hand.
“As suggested by my
grandmaster, Jae C. Shin, don’t limit the number of
potentially useful applications to one set [that’s
been deemed] correct. It’s acceptable for any instructor
to bring to light as many applications as possible. In this
way, forms are a door to infinite potential.”
To hone their knowledge of
real-world self-defense, Godwin and other instructors in
the World Tang Soo Do Association participate in a yearly
masters camp that culminates in a forms-application workshop.
Because many of the patterns can be tracked back hundreds
of years, no one knows the creators’ intents, and
that leaves the masters with an opportunity to share their
students.
The preferred methodology
for teaching tang soo do forms progresses through three
phases: introduction, application and integration. “In
the introduction phase, we break the form down into small
chucks and teach those using play-by-play descriptions,
as well as demonstrations of the techniques and the flow,”
Godwin says. “At this early phase, we teach only the
basic movements so the student can learn the pattern and
techniques.
“Once the student can
perform the entire form without help of the instructor,
he’s ready for the application phase. The student
works at interpreting the movements for use as practical
self-defense techniques and combinations. We share our known
applications to broaden the student’s knowledge and
encourage a deeper understanding of the form.”
In the final phase, the student
is encouraged to use certain principles of his forms training
in other areas, such as sparring and breaking, Godwin Says.
“We also integrate aspects of forms practice into
our daily living. An example is provided when practicing
the Pyung ahn forms. One strives to do them in a calm, well-balanced
and peaceful state. We take this practice and integrate
it to reduce stress and tension and to help us to respond
positively to difficult situations in business and out personal
lives.”
About the author:
Floyd Burk
is a freelance writer and martial arts instructor with 35
years of experience. For more information about him or John
Godwin, visit www.blackbeltmag.com
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| Mr. Watson poses with the Ammon sisters in October after their successful belt test in the New Garden school
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| 2007 Region 8 Gold Medalist KMAI Creativity Team
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| W. "Hock" Hochheim Seminar in Kennett Square
 On
August 11 + 12, international police and military combatives
instructor W. “Hock” Hochheim conducted 12 hours
of training for a group of 25 men and women at our New Garden
Plaza facility. Some were accomplished martial artists,
some law enforcement, and some just citizens who wanted
more self-defense knowledge. The group covered a variety
of topics ranging from hand-to-hand combat to gunfighting.
“Hock” will be returning in February to continue
the training begun in August.
For info contact
Master Kloss
at Hockessin.karate@verizon.net
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| KMAI Invited To Teach and Train with US Postal Inspectors
 By
invitation of Keith Salter, a defensive tactics instructor
and USPS inspector, Master Rob Kloss was on hand to help
teach hand-to-hand self-defense with the USPS as they entertained
a group of interns from the U.S. Attorney’s office.
He was able to work and learn
side-by-side with the experienced DT instructors from the
Inspectors while sharing his knowledge of Hapkido and Tang
Soo Do.
In return, the USPS was gracious
enough to allow Master Kloss to play with some of their
“toys”, all, of course, under the watchful eye
of Mr. Salter!
The Postal Inspectors are
a well-kept secret. These hard-working men and women are
an integral part of our Homeland Security and have handled
such headline events as the Una-bomber, the anthrax scare,
and many more we will never learn about. KMAI would like
to thank Mr. Salter and the USPS for letting us in on the
“secret” for a day!
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| WTSDA
Masters Volunteer to Train Troops
On May 19th, three master
instructors from the World Tang Soo Do Association were
invited by the U.S. Army to work with their reservists in
the 223QM ("No fuel, no fight!!") in hand-to-hand combat
training. 4th degree black belts Brian Fisher from Oxford,
PA and Rob Kloss from Landenberg, PA were on hand to share
their knowledge along with 5th degree black belt Kevin Robinson
from Tunckannock, PA. .
The special gathering of
reservists was held during one of their regularly scheduled
weekends and was done entirely in the reserve center in
North Philadelphia. It was a good opportunity for them to
get specialized training in areas that are not normally
covered in such great detail.
We would like to thank Maggie
Gonski, CEO of the WTSDA for giving us the honor of working
with these fine men and women who are giving so much for
our country.
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| KMAI Baghdad!
Lt. Col. Keith Janowski and FBI agent Barry Ross are seen here training together
in Baghdad, Iraq. While we admire their dedication to our martial art, we most admire their willingness to serve
our country despite the obvious hardships on two family men. We salute our American heroes!
Tang Soo!
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E-Dan instructor
Keith Grier led his annual Turkey Drive for the Delaware
Food Bank. KMAI students and the Christiana Rotary came
through with 44 turkeys to be given to needy families in
the area this Thanksgiving. The photo is of Mr. Grier’s
truck, groaning under the weight of those turkeys!
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| KMAI
Salutes our Veterans! Here is Lt. Col. Keith Janowski, a
KMAI 3rd degree black belt now serving our country
in Baghdad. To all our veterans, past and present,
THANK YOU!!
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| KMAI Safety Day!
Our Hockessin studio hosted
our “Safety Day” class this past Saturday, September
30th. The Hockessin Fire Company arrived with their specialized
Hummer and taught the children all about fire safety. They
even got to take turns squirting water from the fire hose!
The Delaware State Police were in attendance doing fingerprinting
for the children. Our big highlight was the DSP helicopter
landing and letting the kids climb around and learn about
what it does. Special thanks to DSP aviator Tom McKeown
for arranging that very special visit! Class was finished
with a “Stranger Danger” seminar taught by Master
Watters. It was a great opportunity to educate the kids
about some very important issues.
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| KMAI Safety Class at New Garden Dojang!
16 Students from KMAI’s New Garden
studio were treated to a visit from the Avondale Fire Company
on Saturday, September 9th. The
all-volunteer company brought an ambulance and their 4-wheel
drive fire truck along and gave a nice presentation to the
children. They were also able to climb aboard both vehicles
and learn from the lady and gentlemen who manned them. Students
were also treated to a video giving them an education in
“Stranger Danger” and other important information.
KMAI’s next class will be held in Hockessin at Lantana
Square on September 30th. The
Hockessin Fire Company and Delaware State Police will be
on hand as well. To sign up, call 302-234-1966. |
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Get Fit
By LAUREN A. GOLT
Glynne Nagle (left) works on her kicks with a class at the
Korean Martial Arts Institute in Hockessin. She takes classes
several times a week.
Glynne Nagle, 49, of Hockessin, had been
taking her two children to classes at the Korean Martial
Arts Institute when the school began offering a program
for people older than 30. She decided to give it a try.
That was two and a half years ago. Today, she continues
to be a regular at the institute, where she not only has
learned self-defense karate skills but also has gotten into
shape. She takes classes at the school two to four times
a week, and practices yoga and stretching at home. Nagle,
a retired educational diagnostician who now works two part-time
jobs -- one at The Perfect Cup Cafe, the other at the Delaware
Nature Society -- has come a long way with martial arts.
This winter, she'll reach another milestone when she tests
for a black belt.
What prompted you to start exercising?
My son Bryan and daughter Laura were attending classes at
the Korean Martial Arts Institute, or KMAI. I watched Bryan
go through the program and earn a black belt, then Laura
began the program in fall 2003. Six months later, Master
Rob Kloss began offering a low-impact karate program --
called the executive class -- to people over 30 years old,
and encouraged many of the parents to join. I was hesitant
at first, but another parent, Christine Held, asked me to
join with her and I did. We have became very close friends
and cohorts throughout this whole process, and hopefully
will be earning our black belts together in February, along
with her son Jamie and my daughter Laura.
What are you hoping to achieve?
I went into this with the expectation that I would regain
some movement and help myself heal from two accidents I
had in 2001. The first was a work-related injury involving
a special-needs child, the second was an auto accident that
left me with three compressed discs in my neck. Rehab wasn't
working and I was suffering from a lot of pain, including
migraine headaches.
I knew I had to do something, and since I was at the karate
studio almost every weeknight with the kids, I thought I
would give it a try.
What has been the best part?
The best part is that I am healing. I can turn my head to
the left now, and I am getting so strong. In the first six
months of the program, I dropped two clothing sizes, even
though I gained two pounds (of muscle, I guess).
I switched out of the executive class and into the regular
curriculum, and am now jumpkicking and sparring. I feel
great and have so much more energy. I just want to tell
everybody about it!
What has been the worst part?
The worst part is, there are times when you are tired and
you don't want to get motivated to go. But because we have
requirements and a regular belt-testing schedule every three
months, I go and then feel so good once we get started.
The people are great there, too, so it's kind of like a
little social time for me. Also, I was very guarded at first
because I was afraid I would hurt myself worse, but the
staff at KMAI worked with my limitations and let me go at
my own pace until we knew when and how I could push a little
harder.
What keeps you motivated?
I love the way I feel, and how strong my body has become.
I know I am going to need intense exercise in order to stay
healthy and keep the headaches from coming back. The bonus
of earning a black belt I never thought I would achieve
isn't bad either.
How do you find the time?
Time is like money. You have to invest some to make some.
The more I invest in working out at KMAI, the more energy
I have. The more energy I have, the more I am able to do
in a day. So in a way, I get so much more done now than
when I was sitting home feeling bad. It is very empowering
to get up and tell life the way it's going to be instead
of letting life just always happen to you. When I was working
as an educational diagnostician with the Christina School
District, it was very stressful. So I left the job and simplified
my life. Today, I have two very fun jobs I love and I do
karate.
What advice do you have for people considering
an exercise program?
Do something fun -- something you can throw yourself into
and hold yourself accountable. Fitness centers didn't always
work for me; I belonged to two nice ones and never went.
Karate works for me. Also, pursue something with a friend
so you can push each other.
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| KMAI Summer Recap! |
Summer has blown by already, and what a summer for the
students and staff of KMAI! Our creativity team returned
from Anaheim as world champions, gold-medaling at the
WTSDA World Championship Tournament in California. Devin
Lloyd from Hockessin returned as female junior grand champion
and literally dozens of medals came home to our students.
Another fantastic accomplishment that must be recognized
is the promotion of KMAI’s founder Master John Godwin.
Sah Bum-Nim Godwin was promoted to the rank of 6th degree
black belt at the event. It was almost exactly twenty
years ago this month that he opened the first KMAI in
Newport, Delaware. Our Black Belt Spectacular show in
June was a huge success with nearly 600 people in attendance.
The show was excellent, the centerpiece being the graduation
of 40+ students, both adult and youth to black belt rank
and higher. We ended the summer tournament season with
the Eastern Regional held right in our backyard at Deltech’s
Stanton campus. 5 of the seven grand champions were ours!
We are looking forward to an exciting fall season. The
Regional Championship in the Poconos is right around the
corner and our teams will be defending a title they have
held for years now. Next month is black belt testing and
we have many exciting events planned, so keep your attendance
up and read your calendars!
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| Brianna and Nicholas Reinhart became KMAI’s New Garden
dojang’s first testing graduates! They successfully promoted
to orange belt in the March cycle. Congratulations on a job
well done!
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| 7 students from KMAI’s Hockessin dojang traveled to
New Jersey to compete in the Garden State Championships 2006
(GM Ki Yun Yi's annual tournament) held this past Saturday,
April 1st. All toll, they returned with 15 trophies. In the
photos are Angelica Gergely and Tristan Thacker.
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From the Rotary
Club of Christiana Newsletter
Guest
Speaker |
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Mark Muddiman introduced the
guest speaker, Master Robert Kloss of the Hockessin Korean
Martial Arts Studio. Mark noted that Master Kloss has a 4th
degree black belt in Korean martial arts and a 5th degree
black belt in a related discipline. Mark also noted that he
and Frank Alteri have been taking instruction from Master
Kloss for some time. No one attempted to argue with Mark on
any issue following that announcement.
In a very engaging presentation, Kloss discussed growing
up in Southwest Philadelphia and being the victim of armed
robberies, fights, muggings, and the like. He discovered
the need for self-defense and eventually came to find his
calling in teaching techniques to others. |
He said that he has had students
as young as four and as old as 67 do very well in his classes.
While he did not promote his personal business, Kloss did
emphasize the need for training for better health and so that
a physical response to danger can be automatic.
Most of the presentation covered ways to prevent being a crime
victim, e.g., don't travel alone, be aware of the people around
you, know your travel route, keep your valuables in different
pockets, don't flash cash, don't pause and count your money
at an ATM machine, wear sensible clothing and shoes in case
you need to escape, etc.
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He emphasized that the best
defense for a mugging is not being there…noting that
awareness and planning will help you avoid many problem situations.
He also recommended planning for an effective response which,
when confronted with an armed robber, probably is to give
up the money or keys and run. He noted that the time to resist
is usually when the attacker wants to take you to another
location. There were many questions following the interesting
presentation. |
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On Saturday January 14th, KMAI and the Delaware State Police teamed
up to present a Stranger/Danger class for the Hockessin community.
35 children showed up to learn about what a stranger is, the different
tactics that strangers use to lure children, and how they should
respond.
Children also learned some practical self-defense
from KMAI master instructor E. Sebastian Watters. The Delaware
State Police were on hand and Cpl. Anita McCloskey talked to the
kids as well as doing fingerprinting for those on hand. KMAI will
be repeating this program on January 28th at our Kennett Square,
Pa dojang.
Photos of the Stanton demo team recently performing at the Corpus
Christi school
Tuesday, January 3rd was a tremendously exciting
night for Master Godwin and the staff of Korean Martial Arts Institute
as we celebrated the grand opening of our newest dojang in Kennett
Square, Pennsylvania. Grandmaster Shin honored us not only with
his presence, but lead a class of 50 black belts through an hour-long
class. As if that wasn’t huge enough, Sin Moo Hapkido founding
grandmaster Ji, Han Jae and Han Mu Do founding grandmaster Dr.
He-Young Kimm were also in attendance.
Dr. Kimm demonstrated a sword hyung from the
Mooyae Doboe Tongi and then taught Han Mu Do techniques for close
to an hour.
His son, Chief Master Donald Kimm was also kind
enough to share his knowledge as we broke in our new mats with
the sweat of 50 martial artists. To have any one of these legends
in your dojang is a huge honor, but to have them all in attendance
at once was unbelievable. Not to be lost in the shuffle, WTSDA
Master Dan Jansa and his lovely wife Mary were on hand as well
as 9th dan grandmaster Ken Mackenzie, North America’s highest
ranking student of Dojunim Ji, Han Jae. I’d personally like
to thank again all of these great teachers and the dedicated black
belts who came out for supporting our newest adventure.
Tang Soo!
Master Rob Kloss
WTSDA #22783
Wilmington, DE
KMAI Takes 9 Medals in European Championships
On September 24th, four members of KMAI traveled
to Bristol, England to compete in the WTSDA European Championship
tournament. The team, consisting of 3rd dan's Mohamad Mabrouk
and Stephanie Hurd, 2nd dan Tara Rhodes and 1st dan Patrick Preece,
collected 9 medals. Mr. Mabrouk was definitely the star, winning
3 gold medals and being denied the championship cup only on the
technicality that he was competing out of his region.
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