a Tae Kwon Do demonstration

Earlier this summer, the boys spent a week at a Tae Kwon Do camp.  P was already familiar with some basics from taking classes there, but C was new to martial arts.  Both of the boys had an absolute blast!  Along with basic TKD skills, they had a chance to do some weapons and creative forms that aren't a part of everyday classes.  Daddy A was leading a mission trip in Jamaica so the three of us were on our own for a while.  P was particularly disappointed that Daddy A would miss Friday's demonstration, so I took pictures and videos.

Here's the entire group, showing off their sparring stances and looking fierce.

P and C each had a chance to show their self-defense skills.

P chose a bowstaff for his weaponry work, and C chose a fun.  {Yes, a fan as a weapon.  You can jab with it, and apparently back in the olden days in Korea people would hide blades in them - or make the outline of the fan with blades, I guess - and surprise people by attacking them with super sharp fans.  So I guess fans are not as innocuous as they seem.}

I videotaped pieces of each my boys' weapon forms and their board break techniques.  As a part of camp, they did a creative form and got to choose their own moves based on what they learned in weaponry lessons.  The wooden boards the instructors ordered didn't come in time for the demo, so each student used a board break technique to break a piece of paper.  This is much harder than it sounds.

I think weaponry was a hit with everyone.  The whole group posed with their weapons.

The instructors also gave each participant an award certificate.  C got the award for outstanding effort and P got the award for outstanding perseverance.  I was so proud of them both!  The camp was a wonderful experience for our family, and we look forward to a repeat of the camp in our future!