The Tae Ryong cup

Why is the TR Cup mandatory?

Every student comes to the Tae Ryong Taekwondo School with their own personal agenda.  A goal set in the beginning and focused on as they advance in rank and abilities.  The uniqueness of our school is that no matter what your desired results, if you follow the guidelines; take every opportunity; heed Grand Master Shin’s blueprint, you will find success.

It is a difficult thing to accept the fact that you need to put effort into changing your life, seriously.  Often people say they want to be better at this, or feel better at that, but never really take action and start.  More often, people will start a plan of action toward a goal and give-up in the middle.  Tae Ryong students have all started towards their goals and it is our job to make sure you are continually challenged and motivated to persevere and not lose any momentum as you become more and more comfortable in your training.

That is the purpose of making the Tae Ryong Cup a mandatory activity for each and every Tae Ryong student.  Once a year, whether you have a physical goal to achieve or mental one, the Tae Ryong Cup is the perfect venue to check your resolve and narrow in on progress.  

The Tae Ryong Cup is the most organized event in Taekwondo.  You will be surrounded by people you know and be in a positive environment to make new friends who are “like-minded” and share the same concerns and goals.  Confidence breeds confidence.  If you are surrounded by people who believe in themselves, you too will find yourself to believe in!  Likewise, if you are able to show your true confidence to others, you will have inspired them to find their own.  So, if you are nervous about trying, remember we are all in this together! 

It is no secret that Forms and Sparring are a great workout.  When you put maximum effort into either of these expressions of Taekwondo you do more for your mind and body than any gym session ever could.  Putting yourself in a competitive mindset immediately increases your training intensity before, during and after the actual competition.  If you know you are going to be competing, you will skip less practices, push harder a little longer, and take better care of your body as the event nears (just as you do before testing).  On competition day, your best will come out and when it’s over you will have shown yourself what it means to go above and beyond.  This is a lesson that everyone must learn in order to understand what it means to achieve the Black Belt, and also what is expected to wear it.

Finally, as a student your foremost responsibility is to work hard and focus on your goal(s).  Through this process we hope that you will come to understand that, as personal as your goal may be, your success is the legacy of Tae Ryong Taekwondo School.  Grand Master Shin built our foundation on a tradition of successful students just like you.  

See you at the next Tae Ryong Cup!

- Master Nick Quan