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8th December

SEMINAR

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I arrived at the Crowne Plaza for 9.30am to find students from both Cornwall and Scotland in reception, Master Nicholls arrived shortly afterwards. We made our way to the training area and by 10am the hall was full of students for the seminar.

After a brief introduction Master Nicholls began with the explanation of technically adjustments made by Master Choi Jung Hwa after his recent seminars. With students ranging from White Belt to VI Degree a pattern specific seminar was out of the question.

Drawing on his many years experience Master Nicholls was able to give a extremely well received seminar concentrating on the generation of power, utilising what we have now termed the Taekwon-Do Movement.

The 3 hours passed in a flash, finishing with the V and VI Degree demonstrating So-San, then broke for a photo shoot. We now had the afternoon to utilise the Hotels facilities before the banquet later that evening.

BANQUET

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Meeting for welcoming drinks at 7.30pm we were joined by the recently promoted Master Muleta and his mother who were over from Australia on family business. Always welcome Master Muleta has become good friends with a lot of Imperial Students as he was host for the 2006 Junior World Championships and made our group very welcome out in Oz.

We were all sat down by 8 and the starters were served. The 4 course Christmas menu went down a treat and by 9.30 we were on the coffee. It was time for Master Nicholls to take the lectern and after a short speech presented the annual awards.

Innovation and Continual Input

Mark Skyrme

Instructor of the Year

Catherine Divine

Outstanding Junior Competitor Female

Jace McLaughlan

Outstanding Junior Competitor Male

Reece Nicholls

Outstanding Senior Competitor

Lee Hollingsworth

Committed Contribution

Wendy Richards

Loyalty and Commitment

Hayley Parker

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Several Club Instructor then presented the local awards. Finally Master Nicholls made a presentation on behalf of the ITF to Master Muleta of his VII Degree Certificate making him one of only two students who have achieved the rank of 7th Degree in Australia under Master Choi Jung Hwa.

The evening then continued into the early hours with the DJ playing a vast selection of Tunes.

Sunday morning the instructor congregated in the board room for the Instructors AGM. We ran through the agenda items ranging from Business and Expansion Plans to Sanctioned Tournaments for next year. In particular the executive were re-elected and the regional directors were announced.

IMPERIAL EXECUTIVE

President
Master Trevor Nicholls VIII

Secretary General
Mr Mark Skyrme VI

Treasurer
Mr Mandeep Rauli V

Regional Director - South West
Mr David Eldred IV

Regional Director - South East
Mr Lee Hollingsworth V

Regional Director - Midlands West
Mr Paul Cain IV

Regional Director - Midlands East
Miss Hayley Parker IV

Regional Director - Scotland
Miss Catherine Divine V

NON EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS

In School Co-ordinator
Miss Laurie Cornwell III

Closing with AOB from the room the meeting was brought to an end.

On a personal note I would like to thank all students and instructors for their support throughout the year and look forward to 2008.

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Written by: Mr. Mark Skyrme
 

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27th November

On Saturday the seminar started in the Grand Ballroom of the Novotel Clarke Quay, Singapore. More than 50 practitioners attended. At 9am the event was opened by a traditional Chinese Lion dance then the ITFS President Mr. Daniel Sng welcomed the Grandmaster. This was followed by a speech from Grandmaster Choi Jung Hwa. After a warm up, Master Trevor Nicholls began by leading the participants through the fundamental movements. The Grandmaster emphasised many points to ensure everybody understood the reason for each movement. In particular he stressed the use of the body’s natural movement and rhythm, the application of the sine wave and the importance of power. As the seminar proceeded, we learnt further refinements in each pattern including the times when movements should be connected within a single sine wave and breath and times when each movement should be distinct.

During the seminar, the President reintroduced the use of kihaps at certain points during the performance of each Tul. This was in the original requirements but over the years has been omitted. The President wanted to ensure that this requirement was adhered to as we moved forward. 

As the day progressed, the Grandmaster emphasised speed and the correct application of body mass to achieve greater power.  Blocks were to be delivered as powerfully as strikes. A kick needs to have the body mass behind it to be effective. Practitioners were also reminded on correct technique, for example controlling the height of a front kick so ensure maximum is delivered through an opponent and not deflected upwards. The Grandmaster reminded us that showy technique was not necessarily correct and this was illustrated as he pointed out the right way to deliver a back kick. Another important point that was constantly emphasised throughout the seminar was to use the body’s natural movement to deliver the most effective techniques. We should not be trying to put an unnatural movement into a technique, rather we should emphasise those natural movements and use those to help us deliver the technique with power.

Ultimately we should be striving to express Taekwon-Do from within us, always recognising that we are all different sizes and shapes and that no two practitioners will perform movements identically.

The Seminar concluded at 4:30pm and there was an opportunity for attendees to meet Grandmaster Choi Jung Hwa, Master Trevor Nicholls and Master Thomas Zuza for autographs and photographs.

At 7:30pm, the seminar participants and their families attended dinner at the Singapore Island Country Club. During dinner the guest were entertained by a local cultural dance troupe that put on a display of Chinese, Malay and Indian dances. Several Singapore Taekwon-Do practitioners then demonstrated their multiple musical talents by performing variously on keyboard, guitar and vocals. One unexpected highlight was Grandmaster Choi coming onto stage to join in an impromptu version of Elvis’ “I want you, I need you and I love you” Finally all participants were presented with their ITF Training Certificates and dinner was concluded at 10:30pm.

The next day at 7am, Mr. Daniel Sng and several students accompanied Grandmaster Choi to Changi International Airport and bade him farewell.

On behalf of all members of the ITFS, I would like to thank Mr. Daniel Sng, the Organising Committee, the Master of Ceremonies and all the entertainers, without which this event would not have been possible. Thanks, of course, go to all those who attended and made the event a great success and especial thanks to President Choi, Master Trevor Nicholls and Master Thomas Zuza for coming to Singapore to share their vast knowledge with us.

Written by: Mr. Steve Slater, 1st Degree Blackbelt, ITF Singapore
 

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17th November

Congratulations to the following students on the recent promotion.

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14th November

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4th August

U.T.A. National Seminar 23rd June 2007, Stevenage Arts and Leisure Centre:

The overall theme for the seminar was concentrated on “Power” and as such the event was later promoted to be –
“The Power Seminar”


The Five Disciplines:

The Seminar was broken up into five disciplines, Self Defence, Sparring, Breaking, Pad Work & Patterns. An explanation on how Power was to be introduced into these categories (especially sparring and patterns in which we seldom concentrate on generating full Power) was given by Mr Horan V, stating that Power can be achieved in all these elements of TaeKwon-Do providing the correct understanding of power is utilised.

The Warm Up:

Mr Darrin Bonfield IV warmed up the class (and instructors) with a blend of traditional and less usual warm up techniques.

The Seminar:

Self defence: Mr Steve Sharma III, Assisted by Mr Sam Sharma II

“Mass when you can, their mass when you can’t!”, “Direct attack when all else fails! and don’t forget those pressure points!!”

This aspect of the seminar concentrated on using your own mass with speed (to create power) whenever you can, opposing the opponents joints to create controlled pain and therefore effecting a release or a break. Where the opponent is much bigger than you and your attempts to use just your own mass fail, also attempt to use their own mass against them. Where the difference is just too great and you feel the use of your own mass or theirs will have little effect upon them, use a direct attack. Unfortunately the use of a direct attack in the simulation of self defence can sometimes be difficult for the opponent to believe how your action against them would have had an effect, an inner knife hand to the groin for instance when in a head lock, Mr Sharma used the careful use of pressure points in this situation to show that even the largest opponent will crumble when enough pain is directed in order to equal the balance! (and these can also be demonstrated in a safe way!)

Sparring: Mr Horan V

“Power for speed but don’t commit”

This aspect of the seminar concentrated on using techniques in a powerful way, with speed, until reaching the target in order to achieve a scoring point, but then withdrawing the attack before it reaches final commitment (the last 2” or so into the target). He described how on occasion a technique performed in such a way may shock you at first into thinking you have been hurt and your body reacts accordingly by tensing up and perhaps wincing, but then as you assess the damage caused by the blow you realise that in fact no damage was caused at all, the area hit may in fact not hurt at all or may just be stinging a little. All of us control this to some extent every time we score a point in sparring, even if we believe we haven’t and the opponent is stunned by a blow considered to be a little out of control, when this happens try to imagine that same technique fully committed and ask yourself, do I have any broken bones or damaged internal organs? If the answer is no that technique was executed in a controlled way to a certain point, we should all be proud of our self control when we consider our training in this way, as we in the U.T.A. have an exemplary low record of injuries that we are keen to maintain, well done to all!

Breaking: Mr Steve Miles IV and Mr Darrin Bonfield IV

“Power, technique but not too technical”

Breaking is the way TaeKwon-Do practitioners demonstrate their accuracy and power to the full, a technique used with too little power will simply not break the board or brick, conversely ten time the power required aimed at the wrong target will also not break the board or brick (more likely the practitioner!). In a controlled way the students were taken through ways in which their techniques could be modified slightly in order to produce more power when required for breaking, that isn’t to say practicing the pure techniques has been a total waste of time, this training has strengthened the practitioners joints and muscles to such a point that the technique can afford to be relaxed slightly to have a more devastating effect. In principal when we are breaking we are using all the same muscles used when performing the technique in it’s pure form but lessoning the emphasis on the opposing muscles we will need to keep the technique in check, this then makes the technique look more ‘sloppy’ which is why we don’t use them this way in patterns, after all by focussing less on the opposing muscle groups our equilibrium becomes impaired after the technique is executed, this would be no good within patterns as without the object to hit we would all too easily lose our balance! Using these adjusted skills quite a few people were surprised by themselves, and left the day haven broken something they were once certain they would never be able to do (and the day remained injury free!)

Pad Work: Mr Steve Fletcher II

“Practice breaking with a softer, bigger target and I don’t mean the pad holder!”

The first principals of breaking were demonstrating at the pad work section but without all the pain associated with getting things wrong! It was emphasised that team work must be used between pad holder and practitioner so that the practitioner was encouraged to try harder when appropriate but also to consider the person behind the pad and withdraw slightly if the pad holder felt uncomfortable receiving the full force of the technique. It was also highlighted that by holding the pad properly the pad holder would instil more confidence in the practitioner than if the pad were held sloppily or at the wrong angle etc. For those that had already visited the breaking section it was a chance to imagine the four bricks or eleven boards they would now be breaking if they went back there to try again!!

Patterns: Mr Andrew Botwright III

“Power within patterns within the constraints of beauty and pure technique”

It was described that we strive to produce as much power as we can within patterns whilst operating within the constraints of keeping the techniques we use as pure as possible, therefore maintaining equilibrium and making the whole process powerful and yet pleasing to watch. The students were asked to consider exactly where in space the object they were defending against or attacking is as they executed each move of the pattern and also to ensure each blow of their attack or defence always met the object at its most optimum point (the attacking tool having travelled the correct angle and distance). To aide this process each person conducting a pattern worked with a partner carrying a kick or focus pad whom then acted as the multiple opponents to which the pattern was being focussed. The partner ran between positions and placed the pad exactly where each attack or counter would be met, therefore allowing the pattern practitioner to use full power in each technique and to help them visualise this when conducting the patterns on their own in future training. It was explained that techniques such as reverse turning kick can use as near to full power as possible right up to 2” into the intended target, but then instead of dismissing the need to bring that technique back under control such as in breaking, utilise the opposing muscle groups at that point and retrieve the technique, overall slightly less powerful than the practitioner is capable of producing unhindered but powerful nonetheless. Training in this way also highlighted the difficulty most people had whilst visualising themselves as the opponents of someone performing a pattern, although they knew the pattern well that was being executed they had never before looked at the pattern from this vantage point, a quite disorienting experience. Most agreed it gave them a better understanding of the patterns and focus of the techniques in order to produce more power in the future.

The Whistle Blew:

Changeover between stations was controlled by the use of whistle blows, three to indicate 5minutes left, two to indicate time to summarise to the group or to allow the group to pad up ready for sparring if that was their next station and finally one to change stations, the last single whistle marked the end of a very enjoyable seminar.

Group photograph:

The end of another perfect day was marked by a group photograph (above centre) and thanks were given to all those whom participated and for the spirit they had shown throughout the day. We hope the students from the day tell others that missed the seminar how enjoyable the day was with a view to encouraging more students to attend the next event.

Acknowledgements:

Self defence: Mr Steve Sharma III, Assisted by Mr Sam Sharma II
Sparring: Mr Horan V
Breaking: Mr Steve Miles IV and Mr Darrin Bonfield IV
Pad Work: Mr Steve Fletcher II
Patterns: Mr Andrew Botwright III
Committee: And to all other Committee members who helped make this event possible
Ms Gloria Williams IV
Mr Dave Miles IV (Whom also organised Stevenage Arts and Leisure Centre)
Mr Michael Owen III
Mr Kalbinder Uppal III

Yours in TaeKwon-Do,

Andrew Botwright III
Public Relations Officer for the U.T.A.

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4th June

England Squad Coaches Selected

Following the recent NAO (National Amalgamated Organisation) meeting for England, consisting of Imperial INO 2 and UKITF INO 90 the following decisions have been agreed.

Also arrange was the final 3 remaining Joint Squad Sessions:

8th July 2007

    Swindon Oasis Leisure Centre  11 - 3pm   Cost: £10

15th July 2007

    Swindon Oasis Leisure Centre  11 - 3pm   Cost: £10

22nd July 2007

    Kingston Arena, Kingston Hall Road  12 - 4pm   Cost: £10

Students that have ordered TEAMUK Dobok and Tracksuit should expect delivery on the final session.

Imperial will be making arrangements for our students to attend. Please contact HQ to find out details.

Wales Squad Training

Sunday 15th July 12.30-2.20pm
Sunday 22nd July Time TBC

Venue
Thornbury Leisure Centre
Thornbury Rd, Thornbury, Bristol, Avon BS35 3JB

Price £10

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4th June

All ITF Members

Due to Imperial commitments we are only able to attend 1 joint training session with UKITF.

Master Nicholls will be hosting ITF Squad Training every Saturday (4:30pm till 6:30pm) up until August 2007. Primarily for Imperial students selected for the ITF World Championships but these exclusive sessions have been made available to all.

These are in addition to our regular squad and black belt sessions held every Sunday.

Training will be Free for all Imperial Members.

Please contact HQ and confirm your attendance in advance

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15th May

Master Choi Jung Hwa
SENIOR SEMINAR - UK

Students, Instructors and Masters started to arrive at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (Heathrow) early Saturday morning in anticipation for the Senior Seminar. The first of its kind, this seminar was specifically hosted for 2^nd Degrees and above.

All students started to congregate in the hall and Master Harry from the UK took the group through a gentle but thorough warm up. As if planned to the second, Master Choi, Master Nicholls and Mr Parm Rai entered to a round of applause immediately after the warm up.

The class started with us showing our respect to the Founder and President Choi followed by the now infamous “Mr Rai” beasting session. This had all of us working to the maximum and in a focused state of mind for the brain straining technical session ahead.

Master Choi took the floor and without hesitation started at “Kwang-Gae”. The technical knowledge of Master Choi seemed endless as we worked our way through the pattern, with the president demonstrating how he wanted to see the techniques executed. The floor was opened to questions and Master Choi answered these in great detail leaving no stone unturned. Moving on to “Po-Eun”, once again the class was put through its paces as the extremely high technical standard of Master Choi was emphasized on all members. The floor was once again opened to questions. Slightly late but well needed was a short break, where refreshments had been laid on by the organisers www.trenic.com”.

Once again we started straight in with “Ge-Beak” and went through move by move. Mr Parm Rai was demonstrating throughout with Master Choi explaining not only why it was performed but also the applications for the movements. The floor was opened to questions, the abundance of these seemed to eat into our time and brought the first day’s session to a close. We all bowed out and retired to our rooms to refresh for the Banquet.

The banquet doors opened around 8.15pm as everyone was allocated their seat. The background music was playing and to add a little mystery to the evening www.trenic.com had organised a magician to entertain the guests at their seats. Master Choi entered to a standing ovation and took his place at the top table. The banquet staff immediately started to bring out the food and beverages. The atmosphere in the room was electric all evening with everyone in deep conversation, no doubt discussing the technical issues that had been taught only hours before. After dinner came the customary speeches before Master Choi retired to his room. Still not willing to let the night end most of the guests continued on until early hours of the morning, a sure sign of the enjoyment for the evening.

Sunday morning started with a senior grading culminating with Mr Mitchell Ross UK being promoted to III Degree and Mr Matthew Payne UK to IV Degree.

At 10am we were all lined up ready to begin. Mr Don Deedigan VI started the warm up in his own unique style. Particularly brain teasing was being asked to perform certain 2, 3 or 4 move combinations from the nominated Kup pattern. In my opinion a very good way to get the brain working as well as the body. We finalised the warm up with the execution of several self defence combinations with a partner.

Master Choi entered with another round of applause. The presidents opening statement “This is what you are all here for, "can we have 5^th Dans and above on the floor”. We then proceeded to demonstrate “Se-Jong” and “So-San”, with Master Choi dissecting every move and combination. After that gruelling session it was time for the whole group to go through one of the most technically difficult tuls “Juche”. With the space limitations we were split into three groups, each performing numerous times.

In conclusion I would like to thank Master Choi and Mr Rai for travelling to the UK. Our Masters who were on hand throughout the seminar Master Nicholls, Master Gayle, Master Hogan, Master Ogborne and Master Harry. On a personal note I would like to thank you all for attending and making the event a huge success, I consider it my privilege to train along side some many great Taekwon-Do Practitioners.

Mark Skyrme VI

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15th May

The first squad training session for TeamUK has been scheduled for

30 June 2007

Also all competitors will vote on coaching positions, the nominees for coach are:

 

Date: Saturday 30th June 2007

Venue: Swindon Oasis Leisure Centre,
           North Star Avenue, Swindon,
           Wiltshire, SN2 1EP

Time: T.B.C.          Cost: £5

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10th May

Congratulations to the following students on the selection success for TeamUK.