I'm guessing those of us who grew up with the original 1984 version of "wax-on, wax-off" will really enjoy the updated and overhauled version of The Karate Kid.  The new "Kid" centers on a young man trying to adjust from the culture shock of moving from the United States to Beijing, China.  The "kid" Dre is continuously picked on at his new school until he is rescued by a seemingly mild-mannered maintenance man, Mr Han, who is actually a martial arts master. Check out the new trailer by clicking "read more" below.

OCKicks is planning a movie day in June when all students/familes/friends of the school can go to see the movie together.  Answer our poll below and keep your eyes peeled for the invite!

On Sunday, Feb 21, OCKicks students competed in the 2010 Southern California Friendship Tournament and returned with 26 trophies!  We know that for many it was a great test of courage. Whether you came home with top honors or not we are very proud of you and look forward to seeing you compete again.  Parents you too should be proud of the efforts and courage your children displayed.

And now for the results...we had 16 students compete and 15 bring back a total of 26 trophies including 6 of the top honors in their divisions! To see a full list of the results read more below.  To add to the excitement 8 of our students have been invited to compete in the Disney Martial Arts Festival held at Disneyland in June.

Congratulations to everyone who competed! We are extremely proud of your efforts to prepare last week and the outcome of your competition regardless of the results.

The morning started with a chill in the air that was quickly replaced by heated competition!  Saturday morning's mini-tournaments were great fun for all that competed and those who watched.  Below are the results from the final prep events before the 2010 SoCal Friendship Tournament in Corona, CA tomorrow.  We have 14 competitors who'll be representing the school - GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

What a great night it was tonight - some really awesome sparring was on display tonight.  Here are the results:

Team Turtle: You Guys Rock!  Below are the results from a very busy night at the dojang on Wednesday night:

Although no trophies were handed out, our in-class competitions left a proud few with bragging rights leading up to the Corona tournament this Sunday.  All week we will be holding in-class "mini-tournaments" for Forms and Sparring to help our students get ready for the real deal on Sunday.  Keep up the great work guys!  Click the read more link to see the results.

There's more new COLOR in the school! We are pleased to announce the promotion of 13 Tang Soo Do and 6 Team Turtle students this month.  In addition, two students were recognized for standing out among their peers and really impressing the instructors consistently during class.  Nathan Nguyen and Caden Coppock were awarded double belt promotions!  Way to go guys!

Please join us in congratulating the following students:

We continue our study of the San Kil Tang Soo Do Logo with the red and blue fields in the center of the circle.

Um / Yang: Also know as Yin & Yang (Chinese) the symbol represents the duality of nature and the law of opposites.  It is used to describe how seemingly opposing forces are bound together, intertwined, and interdependent in the natural world, giving rise to each other in turn.  The curved line indicates that in nature there are no absolutes.  Lines separating opposing concepts or points of view are rarely sharply defined but are represented more correctly as gradual changes.  The effect is a balance of give and take that promotes harmony.

How are those New Year's Resolutions coming? Is your heart still in it?  How about your training and Tang Soo Do practice?  As is often the case with many words, phrases and concepts spoken in other languages, there are many ways to translate the word heart in Korean.  The Korean phrase ma-um (마음) means "wholeheartedness".  I've been told that the phrase best describes the idea of "the heart that lingers".

Sometimes we reach plateaus in our training that confound and frustrate us because we don't seem to improve the way we've experienced at other times.  What we must avoid is the strong desire to give up or lose heart; to quit.  Instead we should challenge ourselves to train with the same vigor and intensity, the same heart that rewarded us with past success.  Tang Soo Do training starts out as a very physical process. You learn new techniques, the basics of blocking, kicking, and punching, and must delve into the tough physical workouts.  As you progress through the belt levels, and especially after finally achieving a Cho Dan, you are left to start reflecting on the training and accomplishments that have accompanied your training.  You should recall the joy you felt that first day or from a big success and use it to commit yourself to our training.  The lesson you learn from this commitment will serve you well in all facets of your daily life, be it at school, at work, at play and even in relationships with others.