Comfortable Being Uncomfortable, Part II
A post called "Comfortable Being Uncomfortable" from May 2016 is probably one of the top five in terms of generating…
Dojang Reopens Sunday, April 3
The dojang leadership has set a reopening date of Sunday, April 3. We've been closed longer than we'd hoped when…
Dojang Closed Through March 2022
The dojang leadership met over the weekend and concluded that it's in everyone's best interest to remain closed through March.…
Attacking the 10-Minute Conditioning Challenge
I'm loving RVTKD Instructor Luke Ryan's new ten minute fitness challenge, and if you're a member of our dojang, I…
10-Minute Conditioning Challenge
With New Year’s resolution time upon us, you may be pleased to learn that Luke Ryan, RVTKD Instructor and Partner,…
Improve Your Korean: Directions and Categories
If learning Korean Taekwondo terminology seems daunting, it's understandable: the US State Department has included Korean in the top tier…
Improve Your Korean: Dojang, Tti
While doing research for another project, I stumbled upon a term that I thought I knew well, but which I…
Taekwondo Terminology Flash Card Decks
In support of our effort to use Korean terminology for techniques and routine commands in class, these flash card decks…
New RVTKD Rules for COVID-Era Practice
We are excited to welcome RVTKD students back into the dojang for classes. You may have noticed that a lot…
Looking Back on Pandemic Taekwondo Practice
Thinking back on my Taekwondo practice since March 2020, I see the effect of training all around me. Not only…
Practice Justice: Considering the Issue of Vaccine Privilege
This guest post was contributed by River Valley Taekwondo instructor and partner, Carin Zinter. After nearly 16 months, we are…
“But I hate. . . “
I dislike planking for the same reason I dislike Tetris: there's no way to win, only to lose a little…
Improve Your Korean: Taekwondo, Jidokwan, Dojang
There's no expectation in our Taekwondo school that students will become proficient in the Korean language beyond recognizing the martial…
Free Program: Legal Observer Training
Note the July 31st deadline below if you want to take part in this event. At the beginning of June, our…
June 16: Toward Mastery of Many Poomsae
It's been several weeks since I've reported on my solo poomsae practice, but the work has gone on continuously since…
Statement on Nationwide Protests Against Police Brutality
In our Taekwondo school’s almost 23 year history, we have never taken a public stance on any political or social…
Reading Group: The Book of Five Rings
Our reading group will meet on Zoom at 7:00 on Thursday, May 28. Please watch your email for a Zoom…
Jidokwan Tenet: Love Widely
Black Belt Pandemic Parenting
Day Eight (bonus day): Wednesday, April 29
Music none Mistakes Chulki Cho Dan (did the middle combinations from Naihanchi) Conclusions I made only one mistake today that…
Two Remote Training Options
The results are in, and the two things that generated the most interest among RVTKD students were: an unstructured way…
Day Seven: Sunday, April 26
Music none Mistakes Pyung Ahn Ee Dan (distracted by a particularly good side kick, self-congratulation led to immediate mind blank)…
Day Six: Saturday, April 25
Music none Mistakes Taegeuk Pal Jang (conflated with Taegeuk O Jang, did entire second half of the wrong form, didn't realize…
Day Five: Friday, April 24
Music none Mistakes Choong Moo (mind blanked after the back kick because I was thinking about Dr. Tito, our 97…
Day Four: Thursday, April 23
Music none Mistakes Cheonkwon (skipped a technique at the beginning while thinking about the difference between the Kukkiwon standard and…
Day Three: Wednesday, April 22
Music all three Magnetic Fields 69 Love Songs tracks on shuffle Mistakes Pyung Ahn Cho Dan (spaced at top of…
Day Two: Tuesday, April 21
Music Death Cab for Cutie Narrow Stairs, then Thank You for Today Mistakes Do San (mind blank starting final segment…
Day One: Monday, April 20
Music Lucinda Williams Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, then Lady Gaga The Fame Monster 1 Mistakes Pyung Ahn Sam…
Seven Days of Training Many Poomsae
In a previous post, I wrote about ways to practice poomsae: what to do and think about, how to evaluate…
Ideas for Special Training 2020
We won't be in isolation forever, and it seems likely that we'll be able to reopen the dojang and return…
Membership Dues While Our Dojang Is Closed
Most of our students pay their membership dues via monthly automatic recurring debit from their bank accounts. I'm grateful and…
For Language Nerds Only: TKD/JDK Spelling Changes
If you have sharp eyes and care about such things, you may have noticed that I've quietly changed the way…
Tips for Solo Poomsae Practice
A typical student practices until they get it right. A master practices until they never get it wrong.
Netflix Series Starring Luke Ryan Released 4/1/20
BINGEWORTHY NETFLIX SPECIAL ALERT!! RVTKD students may remember when a film crew from Netflix came to our dojang in February…
The Amazing Side Kick Contest
This was the tongue-in-cheek name that a few Jidokwan students from my first teacher's generation (Daniel Hays, Jeff Waller, Andrew…
RVTKD Response to COVID-19 Pandemic (updated 3/31)
UPDATE 3/31/20 For reasons that are probably obvious to all by now, the dojang will be closed until further notice. We…
Learning to Love Running: Part I
Running is like the broccoli of conditioning. A lot of people run because they understand it's good for them, but…
Sean Owen Promoted to 팔단 (Pal Dan, Eighth Degree Black Belt)
Grandmaster Sean Owen, the head of our school in the US, was promoted to the rank of Pal Dan (eighth…
First Annual USTA Seminar – Warwick, NY
On November 2, 2019, RVTKD instructors William Tuman and Matthew Roncone traveled to Warwick, New York for the first annual…
Zach Farrell – A Reflection on Motivation, Priorities, and Training
How did my training change from Il Dan to Ee Dan? What inside me changed that allowed me to break…
Cutting the Candle
[SPOILER ALERT! The following post contains analyses of a form (Pal Gwe O Jang) you may not have learned and…
Wrapup – Special Training 2019
Summer Special Training 2019 seemed especially satisfying, and I've heard nothing but positive feedback from all participants. Part of the…
Our New Promotion Exam Format
Longtime students at RVTKD know that the format of our promotion exams has remained basically unchanged since the school's founding…
Echoes of Jingwu
Become an Authentic Expert in Korean Martial Arts
Probably the most common goal for new martial arts students, at least on some level, is the dream of earning…
March 3 Poomsae Seminar at Chosun TKD Academy
Four members of our school's Forms Club attended a seminar on traditional poomsae at the Chosun Taekwondo Academy in Warwick, NY.…
Netflix Documentary Filmed at RVTKD
Director Erin Lee Carr brought a film crew to our Florence dojang to gather footage for an upcoming Netflix documentary, which…
Jidokwan Tenet: Friendship Among Peers
Report on Special Training 2018
Andrew Benioff (Ee Dan, Jidokwan; Ni Dan, Aikido) traveled from Philadelphia to serve as Guest Instructor during a weekend of…
Superhero in Our Midst
If you're ever looking for an illustration of how our physical practice translates into the mental and emotional discipline that…
Two Special Visitors to RVTKD this August
Most of you probably already know that Andrew Benioff will return to our school August 17-19 for another weekend of…
Reflections on Conditioning from Our Newest Black Belt
Candidates for the rank of 일단 in our school (Il Dan, first degree black belt) undertake a demanding physical conditioning regimen…
Black Belt Candidate Dylan Mawdsley – Conditioning Challenge Race Report
As most of you know, students testing for Il Dan (first degree black belt) at RVTKD must train to meet…
Learn Korean, Part III
In the ongoing saga of my efforts to learn the Korean language, I have a third installment for those who…
Poomsae Seminar at Chosun Taekwondo Academy
Five RVTKD students traveled to the Chosun Taekwondo Academy in Warwick, New York last Sunday for a four-hour seminar on…
William Tuman Promoted to O Dan
William Tuman, Founder and Head Instructor of River Valley Taekwondo, has been promoted to the rank of O Dan (fifth…
Buddhist Monks’ Take on Video Games
This article on Buddhist Monks' perceptions of the values/risks of video games is interesting and, in some ways, relevant to…
Ideal Brick Composition for Breaking
One unexpected benefit of my recent trip to Berkeley, California was having the chance to meet the Coordinating Instructor of…
Sean Owen Promoted to Chil Dan
On December 2 in Berkeley, California, Sean Owen was promoted to the rank of Chil Dan, seventh degree black belt.…
Promotions on 11/18
Although only one student tested on November 11, I'm pleased to report that two students were promoted. Congratulations to both…
Learn Korean, Part II
For the very first issue of our school's newsletter, I wrote a blog post that noted several apps that make…
A New Approach to Fitness for RVTKD
The fitness requirement created an untenable scenario in which physical conditioning became, in a sense, more important than Taekwondo skills…
Highlights from Special Training 2017
Over the weekend of August 4-6, 2017 many RVTKD students participated in Special Training led by guest instructor Andrew Benioff,…
A Better Ridge Hand Strike
In our school, students learn a technique called Ridge Hand Strike at the Fourth Geup level.1 This technique uses an…
Pain in the Dojang
All River Valley Taekwondo students will experience pain with regularity. It comes in varying degrees and from many causes. To…
Jidokwan Tenet: Respect the Elder, Part II
Outside the dojang I do whatever I want, but during a workout, I set all that aside and follow the rules. It's…
May 20 Promotions
Hearty congratulations to these worthy RVTKD students who were promoted as a result of satisfactory performance on our May 13…
Complimenting Correctly
My first year living in Tokyo, I was so excited to be practicing at the Aikikai Hombu dojo (world headquarters…
Jidokwan Tenet: Respect the Elder
In a previous post, I discussed the complexity inherent in translating the Five Tenets of Jidokwan from Hanja—the original written…
Deprive Opponents of Their Most Powerful Weapons
The successful deployment of this technique creates ripple effects that are difficult to quantify but impossible not to discern. In…
Special Training in the Martial Ways 特訓 (Tokkun)
When one mentions the phrase “special training” with regards to the martial ways, it usually conjures up Shaolin Monks standing…
The Empty Hand video by Sean Owen with Mr. Choi
As far as I know, this film contains the only existing video/film footage of Choi Bong Young, the Korean master…
March 11, 2017 Promotions
Hearty congratulations to these worthy RVTKD students who were promoted as a result of satisfactory performance on our March 4…
Timing and Timeliness
Andrew Benioff, Ee Dan I had recently moved to Hawaii and although I continued training in Taekwondo, I had recently…
Jidokwan Tenet: Loyalty to Country
Before continuing a series of posts interpreting the Five Tenets of Jidokwan, I'd like to revisit my original post about the…
Apps to Learn Hangul
One day last fall I got sick enough that I thought it was worth staying in bed to recover, rather than…
How to Learn Forms
Yesterday I was asked an interesting question: what do you think about when learning a new form? I was a…
An Improved “History of Jidokwan”
I've meant to write an updated and expanded "History of Jidokwan" for years to replace the "About the Jidokwan Style"…
Stretching for the Mind
Almost all Taekwondo classes open with warm-ups and stretching, but RVTKD's stretching probably lasts longer than most martial arts schools. At…
Following the Narrow Path: Choosing Correctly
My Aikido teacher, Yoshioka Sadao Shihan, used to describe the path that one takes in the martial arts to walking…
Cutting Away the Illusions That Hold You Back
The cutting away of these illusions and the blossoming of the students’ ultimate abilities are the responsibility of the student…
Distributing Flyers
It might seem like overthinking to make a blog post about distributing advertising flyers. Maybe so, but while I was…
The Right Way
At River Valley Taekwondo, doing things correctly and precisely is a fundamental concept that pervades everything in our practice of…
Learning to Kill
Hissatsu Waza. Noun: killer technique; surefire assassination method special or lethal move, usu. one unique to a certain fighter or fighting…
student manual
The dojang is a formal training environment with special traditions that are unfamiliar to most new students. Many of these rules and…
Searching for the Hard Path
The practice of the Martial Ways is really, in its most basic sense, a search for hardship. One of my…
The Value of Public Evaluations
Instructors and students alike, we are all in this together. For most of the time since RVTKD was founded in…
July 11, 2016 Promotions
Congratulations to those who were promoted after our school's July 2 rank test. Advancing students include: Sam Dan (third degree black…
Revisiting the Five Jidokwan Tenets
For most of their history, the martial arts have existed as oral traditions. Only a few well-known texts predate the…
Martial Arts Classes in Florence – Open to the Public
Although our grand opening won't be held until September 5, our new dojang is now open to the public. We offer…
Merchant, Priest, Horsefly
I was looking into one of my favorite martial arts books this morning and rediscovered this passage, which I'd bookmarked…
Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
In 2011 I participated in the first "Beast" length Spartan Race. This is a roughly half-marathon length (12-14 miles) obstacle…
New Classes in Florence
Beginning March 1, River Valley Taekwondo will offer classes on Monday-Thursday evenings at a new dojang, located at 140 Pine Street in…
New RVTKD Website
As you can see, our school has a new website. Improvements include: a revamped responsive design, so the site works better on all…
The Right Time to Teach
When I observe the individual training portion of each class, I'm often struck by both the self-discipline students show while working…
Jidokwan Tenet: Love of Country
This new blog will contain a wide range of posts, as described by its title: Traditions, Concepts, Stories. Some will…
November 1, 2015 Promotions
Congratulations to those who were promoted after our October 25 rank test. Advancing students include: First Geup Anna Paskausky Fourth Geup…
August 9, 2015 Promotions
Congratulations to those who were promoted after our August 2 rank test. Advancing students include: First Geup Jesse Gorham Fifth…
January 25 Promotions
Congratulations to those who were promoted after our January 18 rank test. Advancing students include: Fourth Geup Casey Krone Fifth…
November 2 Promotions
Congratulations to those who were promoted after our October 26 rank test. Advancing students include: Second Geup Jesse Gorham Fourth…
June 15 Promotions
Congratulations to those who were promoted after our January 26 rank test. Advancing students include: Il Dan Juli Averill Carin…
June 8 Rank Test
The next River Valley Taekwondo rank test will be held at the Northampton Athletic Club on Sunday, June 8, 2014…
Feb 22 All-School Retreat (UPDATED)
The date and time for the open workout this weekend has been changed. We will not travel to Vermont but…
February 2 Promotions
Congratulations to those who were promoted after our January 26 rank test. Advancing students include: Second Geup Dylan Mawdsley Anna…
Jan 26 Rank Test
The next River Valley Taekwondo rank test will be held at the Northampton Athletic Club on Sunday, January 26, 2014…
September 8 Promotions
Congratulations to those who were promoted after our April 7 rank tests. Advancing students include: First Geup Carin Zinter Fifth…
September 8 Rank Test
The next River Valley Taekwondo rank test will be held at the Northampton Athletic Club on Sunday, September 8 at 2:30.…
April 7 Promotions
Congratulations to those who were promoted after our April 7 rank tests. Advancing students include: First Geup Juli Averill David…
Fundraiser for Westhampton Library
Matt Roncone's youth class had a successful fundraiser for the Westhampton Public Library on Saturday, March 16, 2013. Parents and…
April 7 Rank Test
The next River Valley Taekwondo rank test will be held at the Northampton Athletic Club on Sunday, April 7 at 2:30.…
March 24 Reading Group
We will meet to discuss Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse on Sunday, March 24, 2013 at 12:00 noon. Current River Valley Taekwondo students…
Feb. 24 & Mar. 17 Promotions
Congratulations to those who were promoted after our February 17 and March 10 rank tests. Advancing students include: Third Geup…
February 17 Rank Test
The next River Valley Taekwondo rank test will be held at the Northampton dojang on Sunday, February 17 at our regular…
Jan. 27 Reading Group
We will meet to discuss Jingwu: The School that Transformed Kung Fu by Kennedy/Guo on Sunday, January 27, 2013 at 12:00 noon.…
Dec. 16 Reading Group
We will meet to discuss American Shaolin by Matthew Polly on December 12, 2012 at 12:00 noon. Current River Valley Taekwondo students…
Nov. 18 Reading Group
We will meet to discuss the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu on November 18, 2012 at 12:00 noon. Current River…
Carin’s 50K Race Report
For those of you who know Carin, who trains at the Northampton school of RVTKD, here's a great account of…
Oct. 14 Reading Group
The September meeting of our reading group has been rescheduled to Sunday, October 14. Current River Valley Taekwondo students should…
Sept. 16 Promotions
Congratulations to those who were promoted after our September 8 rank test. Advancing students include: Il Dan (first degree black…
Field Trip to Zendo
To supplement our new Reading Group and help everyone deepen their understanding of the meditative practices that underlie martial arts…
June 17 Promotions
Congratulations to those who were promoted after our June 10 rank test. Advancing students include: Yi Dan (second degree black…
July & August Readings
The dates/times and book assignments, as well as preliminary discussion questions, have been posted for the next two reading group…
First Reading Group Meeting 6/17/12
The first meeting of the River Valley Taekwondo reading group will be held at noon on Sunday, June 17 at…
All-School Rank Test on June 10, 2012
Our next rank test will be held at the Northampton school on June 10, 2012 at 2:00. The dojang will…
Martial Arts/TKD Reading Group
River Valley Taekwondo will introduce a new reading group, open to all students, in June 2012. You must be a…
New Youth Class in Westhampton
River Valley Taekwondo is pleased to announce the opening of a new location at the Westhampton public library. This youth…
new RVTKD website
Our new website is under construction. All public content from the old site has been moved here, but some private…