Action Arts Academy of Taekwondo

Results of the Black Belt testing from November 3, 2007. Congrats to all!!!

Several times a year those who have earned the right to do so have the opportunity to become a part of the brotherhood that so many of us dream of, the wearers of the black.

Our black belts promotions:

Photo Album

Master Tinnon presents his Head and Senior Instructors awards.
(Pictured from left to right Mr. Kevin Clinch, Mr. Doug Boyd, Mr. Don Yeaw, Ms. Tricia Tinnon, And Mr. Kyle Clinch)

Master Tinnon explains to the school and the spectators the responsibilities
each of these persons face in their roles, both to the students and the school

Master Tinnon leads the class in Taegeuk 1, the white belt form

And more forms

And more...

And more...
To attain a black belt in the Action Arts Academy one must know a total of 11 Different Forms.

Students Pause between Forms.
(Centered are Ms. Julie Greene, Mr. Morgan Greene, and Mr. John Wilson)

And Forms continue...
(Mr. Don Yeaw (left) and Mr. Kyle Clinch (center) lead)

And more...
Our present enrollment shows active members from the age of 5 to 60.

To new beginnings. Master Tinnon leads Koryo, the First Black Belt Form.

and more Koryo.

The eleventh and last form a student must learn to earn his black belt.

and more Koryo.

Many more forms must be learned to advance however, at white belt one
journey begins, only to end at black as another journey presents itself.

and more Koryo...

Those attaining the Black belt can look forward to a new journey involving a far wider scope
of learning. Their responsibilities increase as they spend time working with others and teaching.
Many believe that more can be learned by teaching than by any other means.

Yep, you guessed it. There are many more forms to learn, even after the Black Belt is earned

And more forms...
With each new form the number of students on the floor with Master Tinnon shrinks

and yet more forms...

The Action Arts academy boasts five 3rd Dan and thirteen 2nd Dan practitioners to date...
Considering the few that attain the black belt (the general consensus says 1 in 1000)
these 18 truly are the cream, not to mention the spine of our group

Sparring begins

The minimum any Black Belt goes through in this portion of the testing is 15 rounds or 2 minutes apiece. This may not
seem to be much to someone who hasn't experienced it, but trust that it tests the mettle of any who undertake it.

Mr. Kyle Clinch (3rd Dan) spars with testee Mr. David Chasteen-Boyd, who earned his 3rd Poom rank today.

Mr. Don Yeaw (2nd Dan) smiles as he blocks a kick

With 4-6 different matches going on at once, every two minutes the testees are full out.

The two minute break in between bouts doesn't give the testee time to catch
his breath before he's on the move again. Sparring is truly a test of stamina.

The look of intense concentration on the faces of these two gives you an idea...

When sparring in a black belt test contact is limited to the abilities of those involved, but full gear is always worn minimize the
chances of accidental injuries. Moving in those pads isn't nearly as easy as it looks to the casual observer.

Uh oh... never let your opponent get behind you

When two black belts are involved, you can bet the speed of the movements will leave some fuzziness on the picture

Notice the good strong "Kiyop". That's a good sign of that the focus of the kick will be very strong

Mr. Dane Weisbrod receives his 2nd Poom certificate from Master Tinnon