I would like to help our students and parent learn a little about Revelation Tae Kwon Do, our Goals, Purpose, and Methods.
To begin; My name is Master Joshua Fisher, Owner and Head Instructor of Revelation Tae Kwon Do LLC. I am currently a 4th degree black belt in the art of Tae Kwon Do. I have been training in the art of Tae Kwon Do sense the age of 9 and have 10 years of teaching experience of all ages as young as three years old.
My Instructors were and still are an asset to my life in many ways. Through their dedication, knowledge, patience, and guidance I am honored to be the martial artist I have become today. The path to black belt is more than just punching and kicking and learning how to fight; it is more about being connected to the world around you. This path is not an easy journey, it takes dedication, patience, discipline, focus and most importantly work. Life doesn't do things for you, one must put forth the effort. My instructors through traditional training methods helped me become strong and most importantly humble. To clarify; humbleness does not show sign of weakness but of understanding, of caring, and awareness of things that may be bigger than themselves. To strive to perfect ones qualities and character for the good of others. I teach to help educate people not only in defense and the art of combat, but to help bring union, and a sense of respect for one another.
When I was coming up through the ranks each stripe, every rank, was earned, there were no handouts. The students had to prove that they were ready to learn more. The student must learn and perfect the techniques, exercises, and knowledge given to them before they could learn more. By doing this three things happen:
1) The student develops muscle memory of the techniques and methods which turns the motions to reflex requiring no thought to perform, with accuracy and effectiveness.
2) The student demonstrates dedication and respect to the teaching in turn showing respect to the teacher and the art.
3) By repetition of the techniques the student develops self-discipline, focus, self control, coordination, and understanding.
The Goals of Revelation Tae Kwon Do--Teach Respect, Discipline, Focus, Humbleness, Confidence, Strength, and Protection through the martial arts. With Training, Dedication, Practice and Will, these qualities and skills become part of the student. Our purpose is to uphold the tradition of the art in hopes of persevering the integrity of the martial arts and the true qualities it helps one develop.We also have ties with many knowledgeable Masters of various arts including Grand Master Frank Noguera, who had the privilege to train with General Choi Hong Hi, the founder of the Tae Kwon Do system.
The methods used in the teaching at Revelation Tae Kwon Do are traditional but necessary to bring integrity to the teachings. The Curriculum for each rank is specially designed for all ranks to develop accurate and effective skills for the defense of others or one self. Each rank are stepping stones that build off of one another as the student progress. In order for a student to move forward, and learn more, they must perform all techniques learned with understanding and effectiveness. When the student has developed the skills necessary, at their rank, they are rewarded with the opportunity to acquire more knowledge.
Rank explanation: Each rank used in Tae Kwon Do has symbolic purpose, as do the stripes. I would like to define the 6 color ranks used in my curriculum, along with black belt, and stripes. Also I would like to discuss the half rank system offered, and the colors I do not use in my curriculum.
WHITE BELT: symbolizes the student is pure; or without knowledge of Tae Kwon Do
YELLOW BELT: symbolizes the student is that likened to a seedling and beginning to see the sun
GREEN BELT: symbolizes the student is that likened to a seedling and is begging to grow
BLUE BELT: symbolizes the student is that likened to a seedling, begging to reach towards the sky
RED BELT: symbolizes Danger; the student has good technical knowledge but lacks control and discipline
RECOMMENDED BLACK BELT: symbolizes a black belt on probation; the student is being tested to see if they are ready for the honor of black belt
BLACK BELT: symbolizes the coming together of all levels of knowledge into one sold rank. A new Beginning. Black belt is not the end it is simply the start. The color belts are merely the instructions and black belt is learning how to apply the skills learned in a positive manor for the benefit of all. There are 9 Levels of Black Belt in the Tae Kwon Do system. 1st-3rd are refereed to as Black Belt, 4th-6th are referred to as Master, and 7th-9th are referred to as Grand Master. It is said that for one to obtain the level of 9th degree one should be in practice for at least 39 years.
In my curriculum I do not use orange, purple or brown belts. The reasoning for this is simply they are referred to as extensions of the previous belts, so I have combined those ranks with their counterpart ranks. Depending on a student’s age or ease of learning the material a half rank may be implemented to assist the student in learning the material without being overwhelmed or confused by an information overload.
EVALUATIONS: Evaluations are something I have just implemented as of 9/1/2010. The main purpose of the evaluations are to view the students progress and allow the student to see what they have learned, what they have learned well, and what they still need to learn or improve in order to move on to the next rank. In an evaluation the student is in front of a panel of Black Belt judges who view the students techniques and how well they are able to perform them along with their focus and discipline. If the judge believes a student has acquired the skill(s), and expected discipline, to the best of their ability the student will be presented with the according stripe. Each stripe signifies the student can perform the said skill(s) with proper technique and effectiveness for their rank and personal ability. Each student is judged on the basis of how a particular skill(s) is performed along with the individuals abilities. If on an evaluation a student has a particular stripe and demonstrates the lack of ability demonstrated when it was earned, in other words their technique(s) have regressed, the student may loose that particular stripe until their technique improves. In which case the student would then receive the according stripe. This is not intended for bringing disappointment to the student but encouragement; to inform the student that their skills have regressed and they must practice and redevelop the skills.
Promotion: Once a student has acquired all required stripes and knowledge, and the judges deem the student ready for the next level. The student will be awarded with the next rank and the ability to learn more. This decision is based on many factors some of which are skill, understanding, knowledge, attitude, respect, and discipline.
For students that are feeling they need more help or practice we offer open floor time for student to come and practice. When instructors are available they are more than willing to assist students. This is available most Saturdays from 1:00-4:00pm, times may vary check the web site for days and times. There are also special focus classes available; KSPA which is held every other Friday and must be signed up for through our student service agent. This is a class which is used to focus on specific skills or techniques to allow student to develop solid technique.
Private lessons are also available for one on one instruction on topics of your choosing by and instructor of your choosing. If you are unsure as to what you would like to work on the instructor will evaluate the student and focus on their weaknesses to help bring balance to their skills.
For more information email Student Services at revelationtkd@yahoo.com or call 518-772-6516. To reach me directly email MasterFisherRTKD@yahoo.com, call or text me at 518-312-7959. I teach many classes throughout the day so I will return your text, email, or call as soon as I can. I want all students to feel free to ask questions and give comments. I am dedicated to provide the best possible education I can offer. I have also begun developing video manuals for each rank to assist student when they are practicing at home. As each rank takes 40+ hours to film, edit, and produce I will be working towards having all ranks available as soon as I am able.
