Author: epham

Check out International TaeKwon-Do Academy’s feature at The Digest Online here!

Mr. Teran is a combat veteran who served in the Marine Corps for several years before working with the U.S State Department where he provided high threat personal protection to all U.S and Foreign Diplomats visiting Iraq for 10.5 years.

Mr. Teran was first introduced to Taekwon-Do at age 5, training under his instructor SahyunNim Rodolfo Carrera in New York City. Mr. Teran became a Black belt at age 13, where he first started his initial training as an assistant instructor teaching children ages 8-12 and assisting the adult classes under his instructor’s supervision.

At the age of 15, Mr. Teran had the opportunity to compete for the Tri-State Championship in Virginia taking a Gold medal in Sparring and Silver medal in the overall Championship. In addition, Mr. Teran is a Silver medalist at the All-American Grand National Championship in New Jersey. His hard work, dedication and determination has helped him learn and appreciate Taekwon-Do as an art and has given him the opportunity to travel to Seoul, Korea to train with the Korean Olympic Team.

Upon his return to the United States, Mr. Teran was offered six more months to train in Seoul with the Olympic committee, as well as an opportunity to travel to Colorado Springs for the United States Olympic team trials. All of these years in training, Taekwon-Do has given him the tools and discipline to take on any challenge life would throw at him. Mr. Teran joined the Marine Corps at age 18, attending Marine Corps Boot camp in Parris Island, SC.

Upon graduation, Mr. Teran was stationed in Camp Lejeune NC, taking on a new challenge as an Infantry man. In early 1999, he came across a Taekwon-Do club where he continued his training, and within a few weeks Mr. Teran became the Chief Instructor for the Marine Corps Taekwon-Do team. Mr. Teran’s main focus was on “fighting” drills while he was waiting for approval to participate on the Pan American Games in late 1999.

Reconnaissance training in Dam Neck, Virginia In 2002, Mr. Teran attended the Marine Corps Martial Arts program. Through hard work, blood and sweat he was able to move up the ranks and graduate as a Marine Corps Martial Arts/Close Combat Instructor trainer. Mr. Teran continued his service in the Marines for eight years and was honorably discharge from the United States Marine Corps to pursue other challenges in life.

Advance Sniping and Counter Sniping Instructor course Mr. Teran not only became a close combat instructor (Hand-to-Hand) but also a Military Operation in Urban Terrain instructor (House to House clearing), Enemy Prisoner of War instructor as well as an attending advance sniping and counter sniping instructor courses. Mr. Teran attended many other tactical courses to include intensive weapons training, tactical operations, medical training and 6 evasive driving courses to name a few.

In 2003, Mr. Teran deployed to Iraq, fighting the War on terror where he earned another star on his Navy and Marine Corps achievement medal. In March 2004, he decided to leave the Marine Corps to join State Department as a Private Security Contractor stationed in Iraq, conducting high threat personal protection for High level dignitaries. During this time, Mr. Teran would train his teammates in both Taekwon-Do and Close Combat.

Mr. Teran promotions/titles are as follow: Personal Security Specialist; Tactical commander; Quick reaction force commander; Advance /reconnaissance commander; Air reconnaissance and reaction force; Shift leader; Detail Leader and finally Agent-in-Charge (Security Protection Specialist) for the U.S Ambassador /Consul General protective detail and any other high level Diplomatic Advisers under the U.S Department of State.

In 2011, Mr. Teran became the Chief Instructor for the Baghdad Taekwon-Do Club, where he trained the Iraqi Olympic Committee in Baghdad Iraq under a US – Iraqi Diplomatic program with the U.S Department of State. Shortly after, Mr. Teran reported back to Washington DC for training. Upon graduation, he gained the title of Security Protective Specialist (Agent-in-Charge), returning to Iraq as his first post as direct hire in the Regional Security Office with the U.S Department of State.

After ten and a half years operating in Iraq, Mr. Teran decided to resign his position to continue his teachings and training in the art that first taught him the basic fundamentals. “Taekwon-Do is a way of life, by following the tenets of Taekwon-Do it can only lead to success. What I have learned over all these years is not just kicking and punching or doing the exercise, but understanding the importance of these fundamentals and guidelines we must abide by. These guidelines are what made me successful in life and kept me alive”.

Mr. Teran’s understanding of the tenets of Taekwon-Do and the Marine Corps core values, is what he plans to bring forth into his new school – courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, indomitable spirit, honor, courage and commitment.

Mr. Teran is also looking forward to teaching the next generation of students and see them grow and learn the art of Taekwon-Do.”One of the most rewarding things as a teacher is passing my knowledge, experience and the love for the art. The greatest gift that I can receive is having those who want to put that extra effort to learn”.

Mr. Teran has received many awards and letters of recommendations from American Ambassadors in Iraq, Secretary of State(s), Consul General, Certificate of Appreciation from the Baghdad Taekwon-Do Club and many other High level Diplomatic figures who served in High Threat.

Since being back and operating the school, the International Taekwon-Do Academy has received a ‘Letter of Proclamation’ from the Jersey City Mayor’s office. In addition, International Taekwon-Do Academy has been awarded the Best Martial Arts School in Jersey City 2015 by the Jersey City Awards Program and awarded the Best school in the U.S Open Masters Taekwon-Do Championship. Mr. Teran also competed on the 10th Metro Championship bringing home the Gold.

Mr. Teran not only teaches martial arts and teamwork to the youth in our community but is also an Ambassador for the Student Veterans of America Chapter for the American Military University. His focus is to work with veterans’ outreach programs, partnering with other organizations like Wounded Warrior Project to provide mentorship and training to wounded veterans who suffer from PTSD, CTE and TBI.

Mr. Teran looks forward to making a positive impact in his community on this ever-changing environment. “I look forward to sharing my experiences and seeing every ITA student grow in their own way with the tools they learn in my school. It’s about personal growth, positive vibes and someone who will give them that extra push to become a good citizen, a good student, a good son and daughter. My focus goes to every person who decides to be a student of Taekwon-Do”.

image“I am proud of the effort each student puts in their training. Their focus and determination to reach a new level is something to admire on these young minds. I always make it clear, it is not about the belt; but the person they transform into. You can see the growth in their maturity, confidence and self worth; that’s the beauty of martial arts!”

Recent Success In A Taekwon-Do Championship Last Weekend

Open Master’s Taekwon-Do Championships Sunday October 25th, 2015.

15 students from the International Taekwon-Do Academy took part in the Open Master’s Taekwon-Do Championships in Colonia, New Jersey. Every year our academy gets invited to multiple competitions and Championships; and every year ITA students do an amazing job!

A competition is not about winning or losing; but instead it is about learning from your mistakes and competing with oneself to become a better student of Taekwon-Do. It is about testing your mindset and your practice on a spiritual level. When you compete with yourself, you bring out the best in yourself. Time, focus, determination, dedication and patience are examples of a great student.

HARD WORK PAYS OFF!

Its efforts are shown and proven at the event because every ITA student puts their time and dedication to practice without any excuse or expecting a reward. ITA students understand that this is a discipline guided by rules and regulations and by the 5 tenets of Taekwon-Do. Knowing this at a very young age puts them ahead of their peers as an athlete, both academically and socially, but most importantly spiritual growth.

Our Academy participated on the following event:

Sparring – Mr. Sanchez, Ms. A. Martinez and Ms. I. Gomes won Gold medals. Ms. Ossa, Mr. Sharma, Ms. G. Gomes, Ms. Miskinis and Mr. Larraga won Silver medals. Mr. Hernandez, Mr. Amato II, Ms. Jimenez, Mr. Jimenez, Ms. C. Martinez, Mr. Escobar and Mr. Siffert won Bronze medals. Overall International Taekwon-Do Academy took 15 out of 15 medals with 3 Golds, 5 Silvers and 7 Bronzes. Great team effort by everyone on Sunday’s competition.

What a fantastic way to start the weekday. Job well done to all who took part in this event. We look forward to the next one.

“Compete with yourself in everything you do in order to bring out the best in yourself.”

Recent Success In The Ultimate Taekwon-Do Challenge Saturday April 9th, 2016

Ultimate Taekwon-Do Challenge 2016…

14 students from the International Taekwon-Do Academy took part in the Ultimate Taekwon-Do Challenge in Tenafly, New Jersey. Every year our academy gets invited to multiple competitions and Championships; and every year ITA students do an amazing job!

A competition is not about winning or losing; but instead it is about learning from your mistakes and competing with oneself to become a better student in Taekwon-Do. It is about testing your mindset and your practice on a spiritual level. When you compete with yourself, you bring out the best in yourself. Time, focus, determination, dedication and patience are examples of a great student.

HARD WORK PAYS OFF!

Their efforts are shown and proven at the event, because every ITA student puts their time and dedication to practice without any excuse or expecting a reward. ITA students understand that this is a discipline, an art guided by rules and regulations and by the 5 tenets of Taekwon-Do. Knowing this at a very young age puts them ahead of their peers as an athlete, academically, socially; but most importantly spiritual growth.

HONOR AND RESPECT…

Many can see the difference between schools, and many of us can see the respect one has for another. In martial arts, one must always stay humble. Always show good sportsmanship. Win with dignity, lose with grace even if your opponent loses self control. Always respect the art. Remember, you are there to test yourself and your abilities. Nothing more but a training session against other schools. Give your best, but most importantly have fun and love what you do!

Our Academy participated on the following event:

Patterns – Ms. C. Martinez and Ms. A. Martinez took 1st place. Ms. Miskinis, Mr. E. Hernandez, Ms. Gomes, Mr. Youseef and Mr. Amato took 2nd place. Ms. Hernandez, Mr. Siffert, Mr. Rodriguez, Ms. Amato and Mr. Rios took 3rd place. International Taekwon-Do Academy took 12 out of 13 wins in this category with 2 Golds, 5 Silvers and 5 Bronzes. Great team effort by everyone on Saturday’s competition.

Sparring – Ms. C. Martinez, Ms. A. Martinez, Mr. Hernandez, Ms. Gomes, Ms. Hernandez, Ms. Amato and Mr. C. Teran took 1st place. Ms. Miskinis, Mr. Siffert, Mr. Escobar and Mr. Rodriguez took 2nd place. Mr. Youseef, Mr. Amato and Mr. Rios took 3rd place. International Taekwon-Do Academy took 14 out of 14 wins in this category with 7 Golds, 4 Silvers and 3 Bronzes. Great team effort by everyone on Saturday’s competition.

Overall International Taekwon-Do Academy took 26 out of 27 wins with 9 Golds, 9 Silvers and 8 Bronzes. In addition, ITA was awarded the “Best School 2016” at the Ultimate TKD Challenge. Great team effort by everyone on Saturday’s competition.

What a fantastic way to start the weekday. Job well done to all who took part in this event. Let’s keep the momentum going and get ready for the Red Tiger Cup in Pennsylvania on Saturday May 14, 2016.

“Compete with yourself in everything you do in order to bring out the best in yourself.”

Recent Success In The 11th Metro Open Taekwon-Do Championship on Sunday June 5th, 2016

16 students from the International Taekwon-Do Academy took part in the Metro Championship in Metuchen, New Jersey. Every year our academy gets invited to multiple competitions and Championships; and every year ITA students does an amazing job!

A competition is not about winning or losing; but instead it is about learning from your mistakes and competing with oneself to become a better student in Taekwon-Do. It is about testing your mindset and your practice on a spiritual level. When you compete with yourself, you bring out the best in yourself. Time, focus, determination, dedication and patience are examples of a great student.

HARD WORK PAYS OFF!

Their efforts are shown and proven at the event, because every ITA student puts their time and dedication to practice without any excuse or expecting a reward. ITA students understand that this is a discipline, an art guided by rules and regulations and by the 5 tenets of Taekwon-Do. Knowing this at a very young age puts them ahead of their peers as an athlete, academically, socially; but most importantly spiritual growth.

HONOR AND RESPECT…

Many can see the difference between schools, and many of us can see the respect one has for another. In martial arts, one must always be humble. Always show good sportsmanship. Win with dignity, lose with grace even if your opponent loses self control. Always respect the art. Remember, you are there to test yourself and your abilities. Nothing more but a training session against other schools. Give your best, but most importantly have fun and love what you do!

Our Academy participated on the following event:

Sparring – Ms. M. Manzella, Ms. M. Hernandez, Ms. G. Gomes, Ms. C. Martinez and Mr. J. Figueroa took 1st place. Ms. J. Amato, Mr. E. Hernandez, Mr. R. Diaz, Mr. C. Hernandez, Mr. D. Mitcham, Ms. I. Gomes and Ms. A. Martinez took 2nd place. Mr. J. Amato, Mr. I. Diaz, Mr. J. Rios and Mr. B. Youssef took 3rd place.

Overall International Taekwon-Do Academy took 16 out of 16 wins with 5 Golds, 7 Silvers and 4 Bronzes. In addition, our academy was awarded the “Outstanding Leadership Award 2016” at the Metro Championship. Great team effort by everyone on Sunday’s competition. I am very proud of our team.

2016 has been a very busy year for us. Our academy has brought home 82 wins out of 93. What an amazing job and performance by our ITA Spartans. Let’s keep it going and get ready for the New Jersey State Championship in September 2016. More details to follow…

Compete with yourself in everything you do in order to bring out the best in yourself.”

Recent Success In The Red Tiger Cup on Saturday May 14th, 2016

Red Tiger Cup 2016…

16 students from the International Taekwon-Do Academy took part in the Red Tiger Cup in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. Every year our academy gets invited to multiple competitions and Championships; and every year ITA students do an amazing job!

A competition is not about winning or losing; but instead it is about learning from your mistakes and competing with oneself to become a better student in Taekwon-Do. It is about testing your mindset and your practice on a spiritual level. When you compete with yourself, you bring out the best in yourself. Time, focus, determination, dedication and patience are examples of a great student.

HARD WORK PAYS OFF!

Their efforts are shown and proven at the event, because every ITA student puts their time and dedication to practice without any excuse or expecting a reward. ITA students understand that this is a discipline, an art guided by rules and regulations and by the 5 tenets of Taekwon-Do. Knowing this at a very young age puts them ahead of their peers as an athlete, academically, socially; but most importantly spiritual growth.

HONOR AND RESPECT…

Many can see the difference between schools, and many of us can see the respect one has for another. In martial arts, one must always be humble. Always show good sportsmanship. Win with dignity, lose with grace even if your opponent loses self control. Always respect the art. Remember, you are there to test yourself and your abilities. Nothing more but a training session against other schools. Give your best, but most importantly have fun and love what you do!

Our Academy participated on the following event:

Patterns – Ms. Hernandez and Mr. D. Mitcham took 1st place. Ms. P. Chen took 2nd place. Ms. C. Martinez, Ms. A. Martinez, Mr. J. Amato, Ms. J. Amato, Ms. A. Somwaru and Mr. N. Siffert took 3rd place. International Taekwon-Do Academy took 9 out of 16 wins in this category with 2 Golds, 1 Silver and 6 Bronzes. Great team effort by everyone on Saturday’s competition.

Sparring – Ms. A. Martinez, Ms. M. Hernandez, Ms. A. Somwaru took 1st place. Mr. J. Sanchez, Mr. E. Hernandez, Ms. J. Amato, Mr. J. Escobar, Ms. C. Martinez and Mr. C. Teran took 2nd place. Mr. W. Rodriguez, Mr. I. Diaz, Mr. R. Diaz, Mr. D. Mitcham and Mr. N. Siffert took 3rd place. International Taekwon-Do Academy took 14 out of 16 wins in this category with 3 Golds, 6 Silvers and 5 Bronzes. Great team effort by everyone on Saturday’s competition.

Overall International Taekwon-Do Academy took out of 23 wins with 5 Golds, 7 Silvers and 11 Bronzes. In addition, ITA was awarded the “Best School 2016” at the Red Tiger Cup. Great team effort by everyone on Saturday’s competition.

What a fantastic way to start the weekday. Job well done to all who took part in this event. Let’s keep the momentum going and get ready for the 11th Metro Open Taekwon-Do Championship on Sunday June 5th.

“Compete with yourself in everything you do in order to bring out the best in yourself.”

On September 29, 2016 our academy will turn three years old. It has been a blessing and honor to provide uninterrupted service to our community. Within the past two years, our academy has been awarded “Best of Jersey City” 2015 & 2016 in the Martial Arts category.

n addition, our academy has also been awarded “Best School” for the year 2014, 2015 and 2016 at the U.S Open Master’s Taekwon-Do Championship. Received a Proclamation letter from the Jersey City Mayor’s Office, Outstanding Leadership Award signed by the Mayor of Woodbridge and a letter of appreciation from the New Jersey Governor. As a martial arts school, we have accomplished so much in so little time. Yet, we have much more to reach!

On June 5th, ITA Spartans received an invitation to participate in a Regional Championship in Woodbridge, New Jersey. This is a great opportunity as a school to show the East Coast and New Jersey that we are ready for this new challenge.

33 students from the International Taekwon-Do Academy will be taking part in this event. This will be a new milestone for our academy. I am extremely proud of every student; your hard work and dedication to training has made it possible for us as a team to shine together. You deserve this opportunity and more…

At International Taekwon-Do Academy, there is no “I”. Only “WE”. We are a TEAM concept, not an individual.

These warriors have trained very hard the whole summer; even twice a day for the opportunity to participate and give their best this upcoming Sunday.

A competition is not about winning or losing; but instead it is about learning from your mistakes and competing with oneself to become a better student of Taekwon-Do. It is about testing your mindset and your practice on a spiritual level. When you compete with yourself, you bring out the best in yourself. Time, focus, determination, dedication and patience are examples of a great student.

Many can see the difference between schools, and many of us can see the respect one has for another. In martial arts, one must always stay humble. Always show good sportsmanship. Win with dignity, lose with grace… Always respect the art and each other. Remember, you are there to test yourself and your abilities. Nothing more but another training session. Give your best, but most importantly have fun and love what you do!

BE A CHAMPION IN MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT!