Source: The Conversation website
Written by: Ashleigh Johnstone
 

• Ashleigh Johnstone is a researcher in neuroscience at Bangor University
• Previous studies have shown that jogging can increase your life expectancy
• Martial arts may have a greater impact on brain cognition than other activities

 
We are all aware that exercise generally has many benefits, such as improving physical fitness and strength. But what do we know about the effects of specific types of exercise? Researchers have already shown that jogging can increase life expectancy, for example, while yoga makes us happy. However, there is one activity that goes beyond enhancing physical and mental health – martial arts can boost your brain’s cognition too.

1. Improved attentionResearchers say that there are two ways to improve attention, through attention training (AT), and attention state training (AST). AT is based on practising a specific skill and getting better at that skill, but not others – using a brain training video game, for example. AST on the other hand is about getting into a specific state of mind that allows a stronger focus. This can be done by using exercise, meditation, or yoga, among other things.
It has been suggested that martial arts is a form of AST, and supporting this, recent research has shown a link between practice and improved alertness. Backing this idea up further, another study showed that martial arts practice – specifically karate – is linked with better performance on a divided attention task. This is an assignment in which the person has to keep two rules in mind and respond to signals based on whether they are auditory or visual.

2. Reduced aggressionIn a US study, children aged 8-11 were tasked with traditional martial arts training that focused on respecting other people and defending themselves as part of an anti-bullying programme. The children were also taught how to maintain a level of self-control in heated situations.
 
The researchers found that the martial arts training reduced the level of aggressive behaviour in boys, and found that they were more likely to step in and help someone who was being bullied than before they took part in the training. Significant changes were not found in the girls’ behaviour, potentially because they showed much lower levels of physical aggression before the training than the boys did.
Interestingly, this anti-agression effect is not limited to young children. A different piece of research found reduced physical and verbal aggression, as well as hostility, in adolescents who practised martial arts too.

3. Greater stress managementSome forms of martial arts, such as tai chi, place great emphasis on controlled breathing and meditation. These were strongly linked in one study with reduced feelings of stress, as well as being better able to manage stress when it is present in young to middle-aged adults.
This effect has also been found in older adults – the 330 participants in this research had a mean age of 73 – too. And the softer, flowing movements make it an ideal, low-impact exercise for older people.

4. Enhanced emotional well-beingAs several scientists are now looking into the links between emotional well-being and physical health, it’s vital to note that martial arts has been show to improve a person’s emotional well-being too.
In the study linked above, 45 older adults (aged 67-93) were asked to take part in karate training, cognitive training, or non-martial arts physical training for three to six months. The older adults in the karate training showed lower levels of depression after the training period than both other groups, perhaps due to its meditative aspect. It was also reported that these adults showed a greater level of self-esteem after the training too.
​
5. Improved memoryAfter comparing a sedentary control group to a group of people doing karate, Italian researchers found that taking part in karate can improve a person’s working memory. They used a test that involved recalling and repeating a series of numbers, both in the correct order and backwards, which increased in difficulty until the participant was unable to continue. The karate group were much better at this task than the control group, meaning they could recall longer series of numbers. Another project found similar results while comparing tai chi practice with “Western exercise” – strength, endurance, and resistance training.
Evidently, there is far more to martial arts than its traditional roles. Though they have been practised for self-defence and spiritual development for many hundreds of years, only relatively recently have researchers had the methods to assess the true extent of how this practice affects the brain.
There are a such a huge range of martial arts, some more gentle and meditative, others combative and physically intensive. But this only means that there is a type for everyone, so why not give it a go and see how you can boost your own brain using the ancient practices of martial arts.

On Saturday 30th October students from Whitchurch, Malpas and Oswestry Tae Kwon Do competed in the North Wales Inter Club Championships in Wrexham. For most of our students this was their very first competition or their first competition for a long time due to COVID.
I am very proud of all our students that entered the championships. Competing in competitions is not all about winning, it is invaluable in helping to improve your Tae Kwon Do, gain experience performing under pressure and learn new skills. 
Many Congratulations to our Medal Winners 
Saskia Lockley - Gold in Girls Yellow Belt Patterns.
Lily Ryder - Silver in Girls Red Belt Sparring and
​                   - Bronze in Girls Red Belt Patterns.
Rob Lloyd - Gold in Men's Green Belt Sparring.
Ryan Stonier - Gold in Men's Red Belt speed kicking and
                         - Bronze in Men's Red Belt Sparring.
Carys Williams - Bronze in Girls Green Belt Sparring.
Carl Willmott - Silver in Man's Black Belt Sparring and 
​                         - Bronze in Men's Black Belt Sparring.
Sam Fielding - Silver in Boys Black Belt Sparring.
Dexter McArdle - Bronze in Boys Black Belt Sparring.

Congratulations and Well done to all of you!!
 

​I’m very pleased to announce that we will have a new class at Whitchurch starting Thursday 27th August. This class will be 6.30 - 8.00pm in the sports hall at Whitchurch civic centre and is replacing the Malpas Thursday class.
This class is suitable juniors, adults and families. 

​We have had a very busy few weeks of Tae Kon Do with grading and competitions with lots of success.
On Saturday 21st September we had our colour belt grading in Newcastle with Grand Master Sergiew. There were 15 students grading and we achieved a 100% successful pass rate.

On Saturday 5th October was the North Midlands Area Championships in Nottingham. There was over 250 people participating at the competition and we had 7 students competing in a variety of events. For many of our members this was their first ever Tae Kwon Do competition. We were extremely successful and every one of our students came home with a medal and we had a total medal haul of 16. Gold x 8, Silver x 2, Bronze x 6.
Thomas -  2 Gold & 1 Bronze
Henry - Gold & Silver
Dexter – 3 Golds
Isobel – 2 Golds & 1 Bronze
Ryan – Bronze
Sam –  Bronze
Ashton – 1 Silver & 2 Bronze 

Congratulations to all of you that competed and for all the dedication, hard work and skill shown. 

Want to take your sparring to the net level?

What are the benefits?
The squad training sessions are supervised by national TAGB team coach Master Kenny Walton. They are however of benefit to all, at all levels. Your physical fitness will improve, your technical ability will get sharper, you will learn new things, you'll be given the opportunity to take your performance to a new level and you'll meet some great people on the day.
Who can attend?
Anyone who has a currently valid TAGB licence, make sure you have it with you so it can be shown if asked for. You must be training with your TAGB Instructor regularly and have their permission to attend.
What is the Cost?
The squad sessions costs £5  
What do I need?
Your valid TAGB licence, (please take it with you, we might need or ask to see it), loosely fitting clothes, trainers, full set of TAGB sparring equipment that is in good working order, A skipping rope and a tagb approved focus pads could also be useful if you have them, lots of water and the expectation to work hard.​

Due to the Bank Holiday and venues being closed there will be no training on Saturday 24th August or Monday 26th August, I hope you all enjoy your bank holiday weekend. 

The last two weeks in August the Marches School is closed and therefore we cannot use the hall so the classes will be held at The Venue Park Hall.
The Venue at park hall, Burma Rd, Whittington, Oswestry SY11 4AS
Tuesday 20th August – The Venue, Park Hall 7.00 – 8.30 pm
Friday 23rd August – The Venue, Park Hall 6.00 – 7.00 pm
Tuesday 27th August – The Venue, Park Hall 7.00 – 8.30 pm
Friday 30th August – No Training
Tuesday 3rd September – The Marches School 7.00 – 8.30pm, All classes back to normal.

​We are once again into the exam season and many children and parents will be doing everything they can to help with their exams so to achieve the best possible results.
Many children will stop participating in sport and exercise during their exams but a study by The Headmasters’ & Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) has found that taking part in sports will have no effect on results.
The study analysed the GCSE results of 1,482 male and female students from 19 independent schools, and examined the effect that participation in sports had on their results.
In fact, taking part in sport appears to have a lot of positive impact. There is no evidence that people involved in sport get any worse GCSE results. They are however happier, mentally healthier, less anxious and more resilient and robust. Taking part in sport on a regular basis is not doing any harm and it is doing them good, there is an abundance of benefits to sport and wellbeing and it plays a vital role to a balanced and healthy lifestyle and the findings in this research strongly suggest that students revising for their GCSEs or A-levels should not abandon sport.
The profile of “super performers” was also examined in the research. Students, who were the very top academic performers, played a lot of sport as well as achieving the highest grades in their class.  
Aside from providing a well-needed break from the marathon revision, when our bodies engage in exercise, it triggers the release of various hormones and chemical compounds in the body. These hormones and chemical compounds all have very important effects on a variety brain functions.
What endorphins are released during exercise, and how they help
Serotonin – involved in regulating sleep patterns and improving mood.
Dopamine – positively influences learning and attention span.
Norepinephrine – affects motivation and mental stimulation.
Combined with an increased blood flow to the brain, this concoction of hormones and neurotransmitters improves cognitive function and the ability to focus for longer time periods. Which translates into higher quality revision sessions and a higher chance of achieving your target results.
Research also shows that exercise significantly reduces resting levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, allowing you to spend less time worrying and more time getting work done.
Not only that, regular exercise has also been shown to increase the size of the part of the brain involved with memory retention, the hippo-campus.
Taking all of this into account I strongly believe and encourage children to continue participating in sport during the run up to exams as it is good for them to have a balance of activities, also integrating exercise into a revision timetable promotes discipline with time management.

Sunday 5th May 2019
​
Schedule is as follows,
 
01.00pm - 02.30pm black belts 1st & 2nd Dans.
 
02.30pm - 04.00pm black belts 3rd Dans +
 
04.00pm - 05.00pm red belts (red belts only, no catch ups for black belts).
 
 
All of the above at Derby Arena, Royal Way, Derby DE24 8JB.
 
Please remember students need to bring their licence with a current licence slip attached & £7.
 
I have been informed that there will be limited parking for the first session due to Derby playing that day so please get there early to make sure can park!

March was was a busy and very successful month for Whitchuch, Malpas and Oswestry Tae Kwon Do. We had our colour belt grading on Saturday 9th hosted by Newcastle-under-lyme and graded by Grand Master Sregiew 9th degree black belt instructor. 
There was a wide variety of experienced students grading from white belts through to red belts and once again we achieved a 100% pass rate.

There wasn't just success for the colour belts as Chris passed his Umpires course making him a fully qualified TAGB umpire. 

On Sunday 24th March Ryan and Rory  both competed in the English Championships in Worcester and both of them came 2nd place in their categories. 
With over 1200 competing at this national event they have both done very well. 
Ryan in his first ever competition was second in men’s yellow belt sparring.
Rory added a silver medal in the strike pad (power test) to his vast collection of trophies and medals .

Congratulations and well done to all of our students that have been working extremely hard to achieve their goals. 

Heels together, toes apart.
Weight distribution 50/50

One shoulder width wide measured from little toes.
Weight distribution 50/50 

One and a half shoulder widths wide between big toes.
Weight distribution 50/50
 

One and a half shoulder widths long between the rear foot sword and front toes.
Weight distribution 70/30 (Back leg/Front Leg)
 

​The tenets of Tae Kwon Do play a huge role in the success of ones Tae Kwon Do training. Any serious student of the art should observe and implement the tenets to the bet of their ability. 

(Pronounced ye-wee)
The showing of politeness in one's attitude and behaviour towards others.
Students of Tae Kwon Do should endeavour to practice the following fundamentals of courtesy to build up their noble character and to conduct training in an orderly manner.

• To be polite to one another.  

• To behave oneself according to the etiquette. 
• To respect others and their possessions.   
• To encourage the sense of justice and humanity. 
• To handle matters with fairness and sincerity. 

​(Pronounced yom-chee)
The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.
In Tae Kwon Do, the word integrity assumes a wider definition than the one usually presented in the Dictionary. One must be able to define right and wrong and have the honesty, if wrong, to feel responsibility.
Listed below are some examples, where integrity is lacking: 

• The instructor who misrepresents their self and their art by presenting improper techniques to his students because of a lack of knowledge or apathy. 
• The instructor who camouflages bad techniques and lack of knowledge with false flattery to their students. 
• The student who requests grade with minimal effort.
• The student who desires rank for ego purposes or the feeling of power.
• The student whose actions do not live up to their words. 

The student who feels ashamed to seek opinions from their juniors.

​(Pronounced een-nay)
Persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.
There is an old Oriental saying, "Patience leads to virtue or merit." "One can make a peaceful home by being patient for 100 times." Certainly, happiness and prosperity are most likely brought to the patient person to achieve something, whether it is a higher degree or the perfection of a technique, one must set their goal, then constantly persevere.
Robert the Bruce learned his lesson of perseverance from the persistent efforts of a lowly spider. It was this perseverance of tenacity that finally enabled him to free Scotland in the fourteenth century. One of the most important secrets in becoming a leader of Tae Kwon Do is to overcome every difficulty by perseverance.
   Confucius said; "One who is impatient in trivial matters can seldom achieve success in matters of great importance."

(Pronounced gook-gee)
The ability to control oneself, in particular one's emotions and desires, especially in difficult situations.
This tenet is extremely important both inside and outside of the dojang, whether conducting oneself in free sparring or in one's personal matters. A loss of self control in free sparring can prove disastrous to both student and opponent. An inability to live and work within one's capability or sphere is also a lack of self-control.
    According to Lao-Tzu "The term of stronger is the person who wins over oneself rather than someone else." ​

(Pronounced beckjool boolgool)
To show courage when you and your principles are pitted against overwhelming odds.
A very good example of this tenet is when Leonidas and his 300 Spartans at Thermopylae stood up to Xerxes and his elite vast army.  Indomitable spirit was shown when a courageous person and his principles are pitted against overwhelming odds.
"Here lie 300, who did their duty." A simple epitaph for one of the greatest acts of courage known to mankind.
   A serious student of Tae Kwon Do, will at all times be modest and honest. If confronted with injustice he will deal with the belligerent without any fear or hesitation at all, with indomitable spirit, regardless of whosoever and however many the number may be.
    Confucius declared: "It is an act of cowardice to fail to speak out against injustice." As history has proven, those who have pursued their dreams earnestly and strenuously with indomitable spirit have never failed to achieve their goals. ​

If you’re interested in starting Tae Kwon Do but are afraid that you’re too old, you are not alone. Many adults want to start Tae Kwon Do but they never make it to a class simply because they let their age stop them. But think about this: if you don’t even try, you won’t know what you’re missing out on!
If you have or are considering starting but you’re afraid of being too old, remember that age is merely a number and it doesn’t define you and your ability to thrive in the dojang. Instead of just thinking about it, why not take action and book or go for that first class now?

1. Tae Kwon Do is excellent for stress relief
Life can be hard, stress and anxiety are on the rise. A little Tae Kwon Do training is a great way to take the edge off. Whether you are looking for an adrenaline rush from sparring, the stress release from punching and kicking pads, or the focus of practising patterns, chances are that Tae Kwon Do will provide a way of managing your stress in a healthy and enjoyable way that works for you.
Tae Kwon Dot doesn’t just give you a needed break from the challenges of life outside of the dojang. It also assists you to develop the tools that will help you combat stress in other aspects of your life. Physical activity and mental training are effective ways to manage stress, and Tae Kwon Do training provides both of those in a safe, friendly and fun environment.
2. It’s a fun way to develop and maintain physical fitness
Getting and staying fit takes work and it can be a challenge if you’re not into weight lifting and aerobics classes offered by your traditional gym.
Tae Kwon Do lessons offer adults a way to challenge crucial components of physical fitness including strength, cardio, balance, flexibility, and agility in a fun and non-judgemental environment.
Whether you’re looking for the intense warm-ups, pad routines, and sparring or the low impact endurance training of line work, patterns and theory Tae Kwon Do training offers an extensive variety of options for people of all needs and levels of fitness who are looking for a new way to improve their wellbeing. 
3. Tae Kwon Do can provide you with vital self-defence skills
It’s better to be safe than sorry, you don’t know what’s round the corner and some sound self-defence training is beneficial to people of all ages. Tae Kwon Do lessons can provide you with practical techniques that you can apply to real life situations that will help give you the confidence and skills to help to protect yourself and your loved ones in the real world.
Good Tae Kwon Do training will also help you gain the ability to think on your feet, prevent situations escalating and when to fight and when to run, which is an important but often overlooked component of self-defence.
4. Tae Kwon Do is great for your social life
Some health professionals say we are currently in a "loneliness crisis", medical studies have associated loneliness with costly physical and psychological ills, loneliness has been proven to be worse for health than smoking 15 cigarettes a day, Countries such as Japan, China and South Korea report similar problems, and in January Theresa May appointed the world's first “minister of loneliness” to address the issue here in the UK. 
Tae Kwon Do is a great way to improve your social life for a number of reasons. Most training takes place in an encouraging and fun atmosphere, helping you to relax and be yourself amongst new people. Tae kwon Do can also be relatively non-competitive, because it focuses on individual development and accomplishment. Your fellow Tae Kwon Do practitioners are there to help you and each other be the best that they can be, not compete against you, which makes for a very positive environment to build new friendships in. Tae Kwon Do introduces you to some of the finest, coolest, most thoughtful, respectful, and interesting people you’ll ever meet.
5. It’s never too late to get into shape
Each and every day is a new chance to work on becoming an improved version of yourself, and Tae Kwon Do can help you to get there. From the physical to mental, there’s no doubt that regular Tae Kwon Do training will help you to get into the best shape ever, whether that be martial artist or as a person.
Tae Kwon Do encourages continuous self-improvement. As a result, you would constantly be working towards becoming a better version of yourself and eventually evolve into everything you wish to become in life. 
It may be cheesy but, it helps to remember that you only live once. So don’t let your age stop you from unleashing your greatness!

​The next black belt grading is approaching quickly and the deadline to enter is Tuesday 12th February. Forms can be downloaded from the Dropbox folder. The schedule for the black belt grading is as follows:
Sunday 10th March – Black Belt Pre Grading - Belper Leisure Centre, John O'Gaunts Way, Belper DE56 0DA.
Sunday 31st March – Black Belt Pre- Training - Belper Leisure Centre, John O'Gaunts Way, Belper DE56 0DA.
Sunday 7th April – Black belt Pre -Training - - Derby Arena, Royal Way, Derby DE24 8JB.
12th, 13th & 14th April – Black Belt Grading Weekend - Bristol Academy.