Happenings from 2018 and 2019
Master-Level Promotions
On Saturday, December 14, 2019, Southbury Taekwon-do Chief Instructor James De Carli was promoted to 4th Dan (4th degree black belt) within Taekwon-do International.
The event was held at Glen Ridge Taekwon-do in Montclair, New Jersey and was hosted by Master John Meany and Master Laura Giletti, owners of Glen Ridge Taekwon-do.
Judging the test were Master Anna Gong of S.J. Kim Taekwon-do, Master Yvonne Kwok of Gotham Taekwon-do,
Master Chris Malarkey of Complete Taekwon-do, and Grandmaster S.J. Kim, Founder and President of Taekwon-do International.
At this test, Dr. De Carli was one of five black belts promoted to 4th Dan. While promotions to 1st Dan are not uncommon,
each successive Dan level is progressively less common and promotions to 4th Dan are rare. Such an achievement is a recognition of
many years of training and an acknowledgemnt of Master-level competency within Taekwon-do International.
In addition to Dr. De Carli achieving Master status, Master Laura Giletti was promoted to 7th Dan, making her the highest-ranking woman in Taekwon-do Interntional.
Uludag Takes Bronze
Congratulations go out to Taylan Uludag for earning a bronze medal at the 4th Annual Founder's Classic with his outstanding performance of Hwa-Rang.
Held at the OYO Hotel in East Hanover, New Jersey, Taylan joined Taekwon-do students from as far away as Wisconsin and Ohio.
Host by World Chun Kuhn Taekwon Do Federation, the tournament offers competition in Open Forms, Open Team Forms, Open Weapons Forms, Board Breaking, and Sparring.
Well done, Taylan! You dedication to Taekwon-do shows!
Registration for Fall Semester Open
Registration is now open for the Fall semester of Taekwon-do. The new semester begins October 7 and runs through December 18th. You may register using the town's online registration portal or in-person at the Parks & Recreation Office.
The Fall promotion test is tentatively scheduled for December 11th.
Doctor of Philosophy Conferred
Southbury Taekwon-do is pleased to announce that on July 15, 2019, the University of Asian Martial Arts Studies conferred a Doctor of Philosophy to Chief Instructor Jim De Carli.
Congratulations to New Ranks!
Congratulations go out to all of our students earning promotions from our Spring testing.
Their hard work and dedication has been paying off!
Article Published in Taekwon-do magazine
The June 2019 issue of Totally TaeKwonDo Magazine has featured
an artcile written by Southbury Taekwon-do instructor, Jim De Carli. The article,
"Understanding Bladed Weapons in The Silla Knife Pattern" discusses how some versions of Taekwon-do
utilize weapons and the terminology you'll need to understand the Silla Knife pattern.
Self-Defense Seminar held at Really Good Stuff
On September 9th, Southbury Taekwon-do instructor Jim De Carli gave a free seminar on 'Safety and Self-Defense' for employees of
Really Good Stuff, LLC. at their offices in Shelton, Connecticut. In this hands-on seminar, a dozen employees learned approaches
for avoiding violent encounters and some basic techniques for defending yourself. Topics included:
- Understanding the attacker's 'Game Plan'
- Recognizing and avoiding potentially dangerous situations
- Knowing what we can do, what we should do, and when we should not fight
- Effectiveness of different types of resistance
- Using pepper sprays, personal alarms, and other personal defense devices
- Legal concerns, such as 'Stand Your Ground' laws
- Easy ways to get out of grabs and holds
- What to do after a violent encounter
Congratulations on Promotions
Southbury Taekwon-do would like to congratulate all who tested for promotion.
We are very proud of our students' success and how much work they put into their training.
The evening of the test, school was honored to have representatives from The Waterbury Republican-American and
Voices newspapers who interviewed our instructors. Keep an eye out for articles to be released from each of these
publications.
Jim De Carli Inducted to Hall of Fame
On Saturday, May 19, 2018, martial artists from Asia and the Americas gathered outside
Los Angeles in Culver City, California for the 2018 induction ceremony of the USA.
Martial Arts Hall of Fame. Inducted that evening was Southbury Taekwon-do instructor,
James De Carli.
The USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame recognized contributions of individuals to the
martial arts community regardless of the style of their martial art, their rank,
or their politics. Originated in 1976, the USA Martial Arts "Hall of Fame" is the
longest-running organization of its kind. The USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame, along
with The USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame Museum, is led by Grandmaster James Thomas,
Ph.D. More information can be found at www.usamartialartshalloffame.com