Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
The Rising Warriors team from the local Tang Soo Do martial arts school recently competed in the “Rumble in the Burg” tournament in St. Petersburg, Fla. For some of the young students, it was their first taste of tournament competition. That did little to intimidate the Rising Warriors who managed to take one first place, seven second place and five third place trophies.
Nevaeh Krueger took second place in both continuous and point sparring, as well as second in open ranks sparring. Jeff “JP” Parker won first place in point sparring and second place in continuous sparring. Drew Lowe won second place in continuous sparring and third place in point sparring. Luke Brault placed third in both weapons form and continuous sparring. Leah Reynolds placed second in continuous sparring and third in point sparring. Mason Mazzella took third place in continuous sparring. Tyler Beville placed second in continuous sparring and third in open ranks sparring.
In Tang Soo Do tournament competition, competitors can participate in point sparring, where the competitor scores a point for a successful strike and the competition is restarted (if you remember the tournament scene from the movie “Karate Kid,” that’s point sparring). Continuous sparring is more like a kickboxing match where the competition continues for a specified time period. Open ranks sparring divides the competitors based on age division, rather than belt rank. Competitors can also compete in performing forms, or a pre-determined set of moves. Competitors can also perform a set of moves utilizing various weapons.
“I am very happy to be a part of watching these kids grow,” said instructor Randy “RJ” Krueger. “I believe martial arts will be great for this community.”
Tang Soo Do, which is a Korean style of martial arts is similar to Tae Kwon Do (another Korean martial art). The primary difference in the two styles is Tang Soo Do is more balanced between the use of hands and feet, whereas Tae Kwon Do relies heavily on kicking.
For more information on the local Tang Soo Do classes, which are open to youngsters age five and up, please call (386) 205-1176 or (850) 869-9473. The Tang Soo Do classes are taught on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. The classes are taught in the Kingdom Fit building, located at 295 SW Rutledge St., in Downtown Madison.