Omaha Elite Taekwondo the name of an independent Taekwondo program run by John Scott Stevens. Mr. Stevens is a 4th degree black belt instructor registered with the Kukkiwon in Seoul Korea. Mr. Stevens has been Teaching Taekwondo since 1999 at the South / Southwest YMCA in Omaha, NE.
Omaha Elite Taekwondo has it's own propriety curriculum that is complete compliance with international standards of Taekwondo instruction set forth the World Taekwondo Headquarters "The Kukkiwon". By doing so our students are able to compare themselves objectively against millions of practitioners world-wide following the same standard.
Our students compete in local and regional and national tournaments. To date we have produced (50+) many Junior National Champions in both forms and sparring and earned 12 international medals at the 2008 World Taekwondo Hanmadang.
Philosophy
At Omaha Elite Taekwondo we take great care to teach our students authentic Taekwondo by following the international standards set forth by World Taekwondo Headquarters – the Kukkiwon. Mr. Stevens, the head instructor, is a certified 4th degree black belt through the Kukkiwon, and our curriculum and testing criteria follow all guidelines set forth by the Kukkiwon.
Mistakes: We teach all students the importance of recognizing and correcting our own mistakes. In any martial art class a lot of new students are embarrassed to make mistakes. Our instructors emphasize that if you aren't making mistakes in class then you probably aren't trying hard enough. We want our students to make mistakes because identifying and correcting mistakes leads to growth. Each mistake identified is an opportunity for improvement and each mistake corrected is an accomplishment that brings you one step closer to your goal.
Advancement in Rank
Students need to set and achieve goals regularly to progress and develop confidence. Once a month, students attend group testing and demonstrate their proficiency in the material they’ve learned. Group testing is treated as an opportunity to allow students to shine. We make every effort to ensure that our exams are structured in a way that showcases students’ strengths rather than highlighting their mistakes. Students are awarded stripes for making progress and promoted to the next belt when they’ve consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic, successfully learned all their rank material and achieved an acceptable level of competency. New belts are awarded based on performance and a minimum time requirement and attendance requirement. Students must also complete a written test and young students must return a letter signed by their parents and a school teacher recommending them for promotion. Black Belt candidates must assist with lower belts and attend tournaments. Black Belts must pass a rigorous physical test, a writtem exam, and write an essay. Upon awarding students a black belt Omaha Elite Taekwondo certifies our students with international black belt Certification from the Kukkiwon (World Taekwondo Headquarters) in Seoul Korea.
Competition
At Omaha Elite Taekwondo we believe that tough competition breeds excellence. Without competition against students of other Taekwondo schools students tend to become complacement. Competition experience is a measuring stick that allows us to objectively evaluative our skills. All of our students are strongly encouraged to compete regularly in regional events. Black Belt candidates are required to have adequate competition experience before testing for black belt. Once a year our junior students have the opportunity to compete in the USAT Junior Olympics and face the best competitors in their age group from every state. Some of our students win and some lose but all of our students that have given their all at a national event are forever changed and develop into truly outstanding students on a national level.
We recognize that not everyone has the desire to compete in a contact sport, but Taekwondo tournaments are unique in that they offer non-contact events such as board breaking, forms. Additionally, competition experience can be gained by coaching, refereeing and volunteering at national events as well. Taekwondo offers something for everyone and competition can motivate even the most gifted student to improve even more.
We recognize that not everyone has the desire to compete in a contact sport, but Taekwondo tournaments are unique in that they offer non-contact events such as board breaking, forms. Additionally, competition experience can be gained by coaching, refereeing and volunteering at national events as well. Taekwondo offers something for everyone and competition can motivate even the most gifted student to improve even more.
Something for Everyone
Because Taekwondo has so much to offer, it’s benefits appeal to students of all ages. Young students learn coordination, discipline, social skills and how to concentrate in a class setting. Parents of young students often comment on the immediate improvements that develop in their child’s confidence, level of self-control and manners. Adolescent students enjoy the self-defense, social and competitive aspects of Taekwondo. Additionally, students at this age begin assisting younger students and helping with classes, a responsibility that helps develop leadership abilities. Adults appreciate the stress-relief, physical fitness, self-defense, and philosophical and social aspects of Taekwondo. Additionally, adult students that also have children in Taekwondo enjoy the family bonding opportunities it provides by practicing, exercising and competing together.
