Urban Martial Arts

Urban Martial Arts Wins Big at Twin Towers Classic 2010!

August 23, 2010 • Comments and Reactions

By Sensei Serge Sognonvi and Carmen Sognonvi, originally published at http://www.urbandojo.com/blog

Congratulations to everyone who competed at the Twin Towers Classic karate tournament at the Sheraton this weekend!

Urban Martial Arts won big in the point sparring divisions!

Christopher and Kimberly took 1st place, and we had five 3rd place winners: Soren, Tristin, Jared, Komil and Alexis.

We also want to send a special shout-out to Jeremy, Troy, Malcolm, William, Damon, Athena, Haleema, John, and Romario. For many of them, this was their first-ever tournament and as you’ll see in the video above, they showed a lot of heart!

Great job, everybody! We look forward to seeing how you’ll do in the next tournament!

5 Reasons You Should Compete in a Karate Tournament

August 10, 2010 • Comments and Reactions

By Sensei Serge Sognonvi and Carmen Sognonvi, originally published at http://www.urbandojo.com/blog

Have you or your child ever competed in a karate tournament? There are many great benefits to competing in a karate tournament. Here are our top 5 favorite reasons to try it out:

1. You’re done practicing. Now it’s time to play!

In team sports, you spend a lot of time sharpening your skills through drilling and training so that you can perform well when you play a game against another team.

It’s no different in martial arts, except that instead of playing a game, we compete in karate tournaments.

You’ve spent so much time during your karate classes practicing your kicks and punches, working on your flexibility, learning effective sparring combinations and strategies. Why not put that work to use and see how you do in a karate tournament?

2. Improve your skills by going against new competitors

Chances are, you’ve spent so much time sparring with your classmates that you already know all their strengths and weaknesses: this person has a powerful sidekick but a tendency to drop her hands, another person has a great blitz but all you have to do avoid it is change your angle.

You can only improve as much as the best person you compete against. That’s why competing in a karate tournament is so powerful. It exposes you to other martial artists you’ve never worked with before, which forces you to up your game. Read the rest of this entry »

The Top 5 Martial Arts Movies for Kids

July 21, 2010 • Comments and Reactions

By Sensei Serge Sognonvi and Carmen Sognonvi Originally published at http://www.urbandojo.com/blog

Next time you’re looking for a movie to watch with your kids, why not make it a martial arts movie? There are so many great movies about martial arts that have positive messages for kids. Here are 5 of our favorites:

1. Kung Fu Panda

Why We Like It: Because we can all relate to Po!

Recommended For: Kids aged 6 and up

Official Synopsis: Enthusiastic, big and a little clumsy, Po works in his family’s noodle shop while daydreaming about becoming a Kung Fu master.

His dreams soon become reality when he is unexpectedly chosen to join the world of Kung Fu and study alongside his idols-the legendary fighters Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey-under the leadership of their guru, Master Shifu.

But before they know it, the vengeful and treacherous snow leopard Tai Lung is headed their way, and it’s up to Po to defend everyone from the oncoming threat. Can he turn his dreams of becoming a Kung Fu hero into reality? Po puts his heart and his girth into the task, and ultimately finds that his greatest weaknesses turn out to be his greatest strengths.

2. Shaolin Soccer

Why We Like It: Because who knew soccer and kung fu would be such a fun combination? Read the rest of this entry »