​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. 

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!

Firstly, what does the term “Martial Arts” mean? Martial Arts are various sports that historically originate from Asia as forms of self-defence. There are fundamental differences between styles, identifying and choosing the style that suits you is the first step. There are so many benefits when training regularly in martial arts regardless of style.

What are the Benefits?

CONFIDENCE
One of the hardest things about beginning anything new including a martial art is the initial staring point. In martial arts that is normally getting up and taking part in your first lesson, nerves kick in and you can feel a lack of confidence and you’re asking yourself, will I be able to do it, will I be any good? Well, you won’t know until you try. If everyone was perfect at everything and never made a mistake, then there would be no need for an endless number of things but that’s not the case.
All martial arts improve confidence endlessly. They have recognised progression which provides a sense of achievement and development whilst improving self-defence skills which also helps confidence.

IMPROVED MEMORY
It isn’t just physical exercise but also a mental work out. Most martial arts have a sequence of techniques and moves that need to be remembered advancing in difficulty the more you progress. Regular practise will bring focus and help improve your memory.  

FLEXIBILITY
No matter what age you are when you start, you will gain flexibility, and your body will improve balance, muscle tone and stability.  Whichever martial art you choose, the exercises will feel alien at first, but with control and repetition comes increased benefit.

CREATIVITY
It’s great having a structured way to do something especially when learning but using your own imagination and creativity helps too. Martial arts have both elements, you have a structured system with set moves and sequences, and areas where you encouraged to create your own combinations and sequences.
 
WEIGHT LOSS & FITNESS
Any physical activity is going to aid weight loss and martial arts is no expectation. The beauty of martial arts is you can control the intenseness of the work out, lessons are structured and have a variety of activities that develop diverse areas of your body.  It isn’t necessarily about weight loss but that is very often the outcome. If you are considering martial arts mainly for weight loss, choosing a one that has lots of kicking, sparring, pad work & cardio might be your best option.
 
IMPROVED LIFESTYLE
Martial arts are a lifestyle choice, you will find that it isn’t just a physical activity it’s so much more.  The majority martial arts have an aspect relating to respect, morals and values which transfer over to every area of your life.
 
What do I need to start?
It’s never too late to take up martial arts, you can do it at any age, at any level of fitness and with commitment and regular training you will improve very quickly.  
You require very little when starting, can it is best to go to your local martial arts school/club and speak to the instructor. They will be able to advise you on what is required at that particular school/club.  Below are some items that are required for beginners.
 A Licence / Membership with insurance.
All reputable martial arts schools will have some kind licence with insurance that covers you in case of injury, the instructor at your chosen school will be able to advise you more.
A Uniform.
This will be specific for both the discipline, and the school that you have joined, so talk to your instructor and see what is needed.
 
Items to consider in the future.
 
Focus Pads or Kick shields
These are used for practising techniques to improve your accuracy, power and speed. Sometimes the school will provide them but it is useful to have your own.
 
Sparring Equipment
If your chosen martial art requires sparring then you’ll need to purchase equipment at some point. This usually consist of Head guard, gum shield, gloves, shin pads, boots, groin guard.  

North midlands Area Championships Success
 
On Sunday 2nd we had students competing in the North Midlands Area Championships in Derby Arena. The competition saw over 400 people from across the country competing in a mixture of events.
We had students competing in patterns, sparring, team sparring and strike pad power tests.
Results:
Rory Tinsley won gold in Boys strike pad power test, hand technique, middle weight.
Sam Fielding received gold in Boys strike pad power test, hand technique, heavy weight and Bronze in boy red belt patterns.
Chris Southan competed in men’s heavy weight strike pad power test.
Dexter McArdle – the group's youngest competitor – competed in boy’s blue belt patterns and boys blue belt sparring.
Matt Hanks competed in men’s green belt sparring and men’s middle weight power test.
Dan Valentine received bronze in men’s blue belt patterns and men’s heavy weight blue belt sparring.
Lily Ryder won gold in girl’s green belt tag team sparring and bronze in girl’s green belt sparring.
Rebecca Manford competed in lady’s black belt patterns and also helped in umpiring at the event.
We even made the local news, to check out the article follow the link below.
http://www.bordercountiesadvertizer.co.uk/sport/16695835.tae-kwon-do-group-celebrate-success-at-championships/

​On Saturday 21st July Whitchurch, Malpas and Oswestry Tae Kwon Do travelled to the Birmingham Arena for the 12th Tae Kwon Do International World Championships where over 2000 hopefuls, from every continent of the world battled to be crowned the best in the world.
Hosted by the Tae Kwon Do Association of Great Britain (TAGB), 22 countries sent their best competitors to compete in an exciting selection of events in the Tae Kwon Do World Championship.  The two-day tournament saw some of the world’s best fighters, patterns technicians and destruction champions come together to battle it out for the title of World Champion. 
We had six students, Dexter, Rory, Daniel, Emma, Matt and Carl competing across a variety of events in this great competition. All of them put in lots of hard work, effort and training in the lead up to this event and it paid off.  Well done to all of them for their tremendous effort and a huge congratulations to our medal winners,  
Dexter, 3rd, Boys blue belt, sparring
Rory, 3rd, Boys blue belt, strike pad (power test), hand technique
Emma, 2nd, Ladies, Blue belt, Strike pad (power test)
Carl, 1st (World Champion) – Men’s, blue belt, strike pad (Power test) – 3rd Men’s, Blue belt, sparring – 3rd, Men’s colour bet tag team sparring.
 
Competitions are not just about winning medals or trophies, they are also about learning, gaining experience and having fun. We had a fantastic day and cannot wait for the Scottish championships in September.  

There is no training at Malpas on Monday 28th June 2018, as the school is closed due to the Bank Holiday. Have a nice day.
Classes are running as normal the rest of the week and through the holidays.

This years TAGB Welsh Championships will be held at the University Of Wales, Cyn Coed Road,Cardiff on Sunday 20th May 2018.
There are divisions for everyone, Juniors, Cadets, Adults, Executives, Team Events and The Ultimate Striker.
Entry forms can be downloaded from our Dropbox folder or see us at class for a copy.

​When taking part in sparring a gum shield is essential. Wearing a gum shield will significantly reduce the risk of dental injuries. However, it is important to remember that no gum shield will completely eliminate the risk of injury, but this risk is significantly reduced from not wearing one at all.
To ensure that your risk of injury is minimised you need to make sure that your gum shield is comfortable to wear, fits correctly so it stays in place and is maintained. 
Cleaning and inspecting your gum shield between uses will help the life of your gum shield. If your gum shield is showing any signs of wear and tear, then replacement is advisable.
There are an abundance of gum shields with a variety of colours, styles and prices. A basic gum shield costs around £4.50, the most expensive option is a custom made gum shield costing around £80.
I have had various gum shields over the years but my favourite is my current gum shield, the Shock Doctor Gel Max Mouth Guard. I like the Shock Doctor range because they are comfortable, cool looking and a reasonable price.
If you’re looking for a new gum shield, then check out the links below at some of my favourites and if you purchase through the link it helps out this site.

We have a busy weekend of Tae Kwon Do ahead of us, starting with the colour belt in Newcastle and then the English championships in Worcester.

The colour belt grading is being held at Newcastle College the address is: Gordon Banks Sports Centre, Newcastle-under-Lyme College, Knutton Lane, Staffordshire, ST5 2GB.
​The grading will start at 11am and all grades need to be there ready to start at this time please.
Because of the grading there is no training at Whitchurch on Saturday (24th March,) training at Whitchurch will resume on Saturday 31st March.

On Sunday 25th March we are heading to the university of Worcester for the 2018 English Championships where we have students competing and officiating. The running order is below, so you can see which area you will be competing on.
​​All competitors to arrive by 9.00 am.

​Reports are coming in about long delays in Worcester city center.
To make sure you arrive on time and are ready to compete in your event.
Please see the map below which shows a route in blue which comes in from the west to miss the city centre road works. 

Good luck to all our students that are grading and competing this weekend, enjoy your weekend of Tae Kwon Do.

​This weekend see’s the start of the April 2018 black belt grading process with the mock grading in Belper, Derbyshire. We have two students taking part and I would like to wish them the best of luck.
The details of the mock grading are below.

Start time: 13.00
Please make sure you arrive there in plenty of time.
​
Venue: Belper Leisure Centre, John O'Gaunts Way, Belper DE56 0DA.

If you are interested in the history of Tae Kwon Do, General Choi, Korean history or martial arts in general then this book is a great read.
Writen by Alex Gillis a investigative journalist who has trained in Tae Kwon Do for over 25 years, this book looks into the history and tales around Tae Kwon Do and how it all started. 
Sometimes I find people do the minimum theory for gradings and that’s it, it’s a real shame because the story of Tae Kwon Do is very interesting.

If you are interested in buying this book to further your Tae Kwon Do knowledge please use the link below.
​ 
“Obscure documents, Korean-language books, and in-depth interviews with tae kwon do pioneers tell the tale of the origin of the most popular martial art. In 1938, tae kwon do began at the end of a poker game in a tiny village in a remote corner of what is now North Korea by Choi Hong-Hi, who began the martial art, and his nemesis, Kim Un-Yong, who developed the Olympic style and became one of the most powerful, controversial men in sports. The story follows Choi from the 1938 poker game where he fought for his life, through high-class geisha houses where the art was named, and into the Vietnam War where the martial art evolved into a killing art. The techniques cut across all realms—from the late 1960s when tae kwon do–trained Korean CIA agents kidnapped people in the United States and Europe to the 1970s when Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and other Hollywood stars mastered the art’s new kicks. Tae kwon do is also a martial art for the 21st century, one of merciless techniques, indomitable men, and justice pumped on steroids.”

Students grading for their black belts in April are required to attend the following sessions.
Mock Grading 
Sunday 18th March, 1.00pm
Belper Leisure Centre, John O'Gaunts Way, Belper DE56 0DA.
Black Belt Pre Grading Training 
Sunday 8th April, 13.00 to 14.30 
Belper Leisure Centre, John O'Gaunts Way, Belper DE56 0DA.
Black Belt Pre Grading Training
Sunday 15th April, 13.00 to 14.30 
Derby Arena, Royal Way, Pride Pkwy, Derby DE24 8JB, UK

The black belt grading will be held in Bristol on 20th, 21st & 22nd April.

​The next colour belt grading is on Saturday 3rd March at Newcastle College address: Gordon Banks Sports Centre, Newcastle-under-Lyme College, Knutton Lane, Staffordshire, ST5 2GB.

Entry forms are on Dropbox. 

The deadline for entries is Saturday 24th February.