Ask Grandmaster Connelly

March 20, 2020 by

What a great question!

I have always had a fascination with the science and technology of combative endeavors .  My father was a varsity level team boxer in high school and college, before enlisting in the service during WW II  He taught me the fundamentals and basic boxing skills. I was contact sparring with him in our kitchen by the age of 5.  Sixty years ago, western style combat sports (boxing, wrestling, fencing) were the only games available in the Midwest and Chicago, except for a few Judo clubs taught by men who had learned the art while serving in the military in Japan and Korea.  Their skill level was not high by today’s standards, at best 1st degree black belts.   However, I am grateful to these pioneers for introducing the community to Asian martial arts and sports.  They had to endure the post-WW II and Korean war hostility and suspicion toward Asians in order to practice and teach.    

In junior high, after attending a wrestling class, I had the good fortune to see a Judo demonstration by Master Byung Dae Suh at the YMCA. It was amazing!  He effortlessly overcame men twice his size who genuinely expected to dominate him in a Judo contest.  I had heard and read that the well-trained martial artist could prevail against stronger opponents, but did not believe it until after witnessing for myself how Master Suh overcame several big, capable adversaries.   I signed up for his Judo class and started my martial art journey.

Master Suh also taught Taekwon-do, popularly known back then as “Korean Karate”.  I set aside my boxing and wrestling to study Judo and Taekwon-do.  One thing that appealed to me was the honor code that we all were expected to observe both within and outside of the dojang.   As young person in western combat sports, my role models were the  “tough guys”. It was believed that they were safe because they inspired fear in conflict with potential adversaries.  I was blessed with martial art role models who were very, very capable fighters who had made conscious decisions to be respectful of others in disagreements and to use the Art to create better versions of ourselves.  I learned how to control my temper and to reserve force for extreme, unavoidable situations.  I am certain that if I had cultivated aggression and fear, my life journey would have taken a very different direction. I hope with my teaching and role modeling to provide the same gift to my students.

Filed Under: Default Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

July 4th – Evanston Parade

June 29, 2016 by

image001

Connelly’s Academy will be joining the McGaw YMCA in marching in Evanston’s 4th of July parade. We have been told that it has been rated as the #1 Independence Day parade. This is our second year of participation. Last year was fun and exciting for students of all ranks and ages. We are hoping to have even more students join for the 2016 celebration. Below are the details. Please come if you can. Happy 4th!!

PARADE PLACEMENT
We are unit number 41 and will be meeting between 12:30-1:30pm on Cowper Ave (between Harrison Street and Central Street). Please do not be late as the parade starts moving at 1:30pm.

WEATHER
The forecast shows that it will be 81 degrees and sunny. Please dress appropriately! I suggest bringing sunscreen and, while we will have water, it wouldn’t hurt to bring more!

T-SHIRTS
T-shirts will be distributed the day of the parade but if you plan on coming to the Y before Monday, then you can ask any front desk staff for your shirts. Please note that t-shirts are in limited quantity. Don’t worry though as everyone will get a McGaw Y visor on the day of the parade!

SAFETY
Please note that all children should be accompanied by a parent or guardian for safety precautions.

Filed Under: Student Community Tagged With: , , ,

A Living Example of Community Service, Laura Kristek Nurtures a Martial Arts Community at Kilmer Elementary

May 24, 2016 by

Every child is listening. Every face is turned toward the teacher. I have never seen a class more clearly excited about doing Taekwon-Do. Their instructor, Laura Kristek, is a nationally certified Special Education instructor at Joyce Kilmer Elementary School in Chicago. After a full day of teaching, when the last buzzer sounds, she races to the gym to set up and change, becoming a Taekwon-Do instructor.

At the heart of Taekwon-do, is the junior-senior relationship. Just as we are nurtured by our instructor and senior students, we help and guide our juniors. Even now as I talk to her, the senior belts are leading their juniors in warm-ups.

“Charyot (attention), Kyong Ye (bow)” The children all face the flags and bow in to begin class. Asked why she likes Taekwon-Do, she talks about her personal relationship with it. “I know when I’ve been neglecting Taekwon-Do. I know when I’ve been giving it time. See, rewards take work.” She doesn’t talk about herself very much before segueing back to the children. “I like to give the kids opportunities they wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

She really enjoys teaching at Kilmer because of the amazing administration, staff, and fellow teachers, but she admits it’s not always easy. “We’re challenged with needing to be flexible. It’s all very dynamic.”

Ms. Kristek’s love of teaching and Taekwon-do is reflected in her students. They literally can’t wait to do Taekwon-do. It’s easy to believe that studying this martial art helps these kids. I was more surprised though when she said “These kids are so well behaved. I am told there are some who have significant discipline problems outside of this class, but they’re so responsive here, I didn’t know.”

She returns to the idea of having a personal relationship with Taekwon-Do. “When I don’t do it, I miss it, like I would miss a person.”

I observe one girl’s spirit as she punches a bag, I don’t doubt these kids would miss it, too.”

As class comes to a close, the children face the flags again to bow and then face Ms. Kristek herself.

“Charyot, Kyong Ye”

Rachel Jacobs is a freelance writer, mother and First Degree Black Belt in Taekwon-do.

Filed Under: Student Community Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

The Health Benefits of Taekwon-do by Tessa Fischer, M.D.

May 4, 2016 by

Taekwon-do as practiced at Connelly’s Academy is an ancient art that brings health benefits to the body, mind and spirit of the contemporary practitioner. I have been studying for 24 years and, at age 66, I hope to continue for at least 10 years or more, to be limited only by serious injury or illness.

Although a very vigorous form of aerobic exercise, from the beginning, students are taught and encouraged to keep themselves and their fellow students safe. On the physical level, this means techniques that avoid injury, including non-contact sparring and proper form. If proper form and timing are attended to, students are unlikely to suffer joint injuries, fractures or serious contusions. As a female student, I really appreciate this attention to safety.

The vigor of repeated and careful techniques also builds strength and stamina. Part of every technique involves attention to breathing, another factor that contributes to health. Working in groups and with partners also encourages us to persevere in our practice. There is another component known as reaction force, which helps to balance and strengthen technique by a principle of equal and opposite movement.

From a mental health point of view, Taekwon-do practice which embodies the tenets of courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and the indomitable spirit, encourages focus, concentration and attention. The tenets carry into everyday life in ways that I have found extremely useful in many areas and with many challenges.

Kicking, punching, blocking, and vocalizing to focus power are also great stress relievers.

Leadership is encouraged among all students, and is defined not by age or gender, but by experience with the practice. Accordingly, many of our “seniors” are young people. The community around the academy is extremely supportive and kind. For me, part of the attraction is seeing students progress for years, become friends with one another, mature and go on to achieve their goals in education, arts, music, martial arts and careers.

Finally, spiritual strength can be nurtured and enhanced by the practice. Without any particular religious connection, the process of attempting, progressing and then demonstrating proficiency is spiritually elating, if not enlightening. Ask any student who has accomplished a board break or mastered his/her high pattern.

There is also a brief meditation and breathing session at the end of each class. Students are encouraged to center themselves throughout the class, particularly as basic techniques are practiced.

Class, like other spirit-soothing places, is an opportunity to leave our outside lives behind for a brief time.

To sum this up, I would strongly encourage anyone who has an interest to try a class. Join your friends or family members or try it alone. You will always be welcome.

Filed Under: Student Community Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Post-Black-Belt-Test Thoughts from Master Eisenstein

March 23, 2015 by Leave a Comment

To Everyone at Connelly’s Academy:

Thank you to all of you who came out to test and judge during this past Monday’s color belt test. Thank you to those who came to support their friends and training partners. Thank you to all of the senior belts who helped make the test run so smoothly by retrieving the belts the judges needed. Thank you to all of the black belts who held boards and aided our younger students with their board breaks. Thank you to everyone who made Henri and his family feel welcome and like they are part of our truly amazing community.

Unless you have trained outside of Connelly’s Academy, you may not realize how incredible our Taekwon-Do community really is. The thought that Grandmaster Connelly would not be out there leading the test himself, for the entire duration of the test, may not have even crossed your mind. This is a testament to our Grandmaster and the type of instructor he is every day, test or no test.

Henri’s father told me how impressed he was that Grandmaster Connelly led the test himself and that he had never seen a Grandmaster do that before. More often than not, the head of a school will stay behind the judges table and let their senior students lead the Promotion Tests. And, why not? Haven’t they earned their chance to rest? While that may be true, in our community the responsibility our seniors feel for the well-being and development of our juniors drives us to be a constant and present force in their lives. This begins with Grandmaster Connelly.

Henri and his family felt so at home during the test and their visit. Thank you for contributing to that. Thank you for taking Henri in as one of your own. He was overcome with how welcoming and supportive everyone was to not only him, but to each other. I would personally like to thank Mr. Lardner and Mr. Vernon for the way they conducted themselves during the test and for how they aided Henri at times even while they were testing themselves. This demonstration of Integrity and Community Spirit is something that you may have to search very hard to find in another martial arts community, but was very evident throughout the test on Monday.

The Taekwon-Do community Grandmaster Connelly has developed, and I have called home since I was six-years-old, is truly one of a kind. You may already know this, or you may not be fully aware of what I am talking about until you have a chance to leave the community and train elsewhere. There is a reason I wanted Henri to come back to Evanston to test for his first degree and that reason is YOU. Everyone, no matter if you are a white belt or a master, plays an important role in creating, maintaining and strengthening the Connelly’s Academy community and for that, I am deeply thankful.

Master Eisenstein

Filed Under: Student Community

A Message from Master Michael Eisenstein

December 8, 2014 by Leave a Comment

As many of you know, I live in NYC where I am an actor. While pursuing my acting career, I have continued my commitment to Taekwon-Do by teaching privately as well as in the after-school program at The Spence School on the upper east side. I have been teaching at Spence for four years. In that time, the program has expanded from one to two classes per week. By the end of this school year, I will have two black-stripe students training for their black belts.

Recently, I was hired by another school to teach in their after-school curriculum. This January, I start teaching at the Marymount School of New York. This new class will bring the total number of students training in New York City under the Connelly’s Academy umbrella to over thirty.

Lastly, and possibly the most exciting for me, is that my most senior student and I will be traveling to Evanston for the March 16th test where he will test for his first-degree black belt in front of the entire Connelly’s Academy community. Henri will be my first promotion to black belt, a milestone of which I am very proud. He is excited to meet everyone and for the opportunity to train with you all while he is here. While I know I could have tested him myself in New York, it is important to me that he come out to experience the incredible community of which he is a part, Connelly’s Academy.

 

I look forward to seeing you all in March.

 

Master Eisenstein

Filed Under: Student Community