As the weather cools down it is getting a bit chilly in the dojang, especially those early morning starts! Remember to warm up well and have a jumper to put on after your class. You may also wear a jumper or vest during the warm up.
Events and grading
We have a number of events coming up this term. These dates are tentative and more information will be available soon:
30 May – Sparring workshop
6 June – Beginners workshop
19 June – Grading (white, yellow and blue belts)
26 June – Grading (red belts – 3 hours, students will need protective sparring equipment, pregrading assessment to be completed by 12 June)
Protective sparring gear
We have put together two sparring equipment packs for students to purchase their own equipment. These can be purchased via our website (let us know if you need the password). We are offering these packs at a considerable discount, however, you are also welcome to purchase your own Kukkiwon approved protective wear. We highly recommend that all boys and men wear a protective groin guard while sparring. Other protective items (such as shin and forearm guards) may help to reduce injury and pain and make sparring more fun! Sparring equipment is needed for sparring classes for blue belts and above.
Mouthguards for sparring
From May, it will be compulsory for all students to wear a mouthguard during sparring. While we don’t allow head kicks during training, sometimes accidents happen, and we take the health and safety of our students seriously. Mouthguards can prevent orofacial injuries such as broken, loose, or missing teeth, tooth fractures, nerve damage, cuts and lacerations, and can reduce the severity of concussion. Custom mouthguards (recommended) can be purchased from your dentist, or you can buy a variety of mouthguards from sports stores.
Training focus
The training focus for each week is as follows:
1 May – Fitness and self defence
8 May – Poomsae and step sparring
15 May – Sparring
22 May – Poomsae and self defence
29 May – Kicking/combos and fitness
5 June – Poomsae and board breaking
12 June – Grading preparation
19 June – Grading feedback
26 June – Instructor choice
Please note, this plan is subject to change.
10.30am poomsae class
This term Sabonim Pravin will be running the Saturday poomsae class with a focus on an individual poomsae each week. This is ideal for those who need to learn new poomsae for grading, but it will also be valuable for students of all belts to help revise and improve on their poomsae practice. All students are welcome at these sessions; even if you are a lower belt than the poomsae being taught as you can learn new techniques and develop a greater understanding of poomsae. The planned sessions are:
8 May – Kibon
15 May – Il jang
22 May – Ee jang
29 May – Sam jang
5 June- Sa jang
12 June – Oh jang
19 June – Yuk jang
26 June – Chil jang
3 July – Pal jang
10 July – Koryo
Arrival and warming up
Students are reminded of the importance of being on time to classes. Arriving late means that often students don’t participate in a full warm up. It is important that all students complete a thorough warm up prior to beginning the class to reduce the risk of injury. Late arrivals can also be disruptive to the class. If you are not on time to your class ensure that you begin warming up immediately and let your instructor know when you are ready to join the class.
Step sparring instructions
We recently filmed an instructional video for step sparring. The video, along with written instructions, has been uploaded to our website (ask your instructor for the password). The video details the 3 basic step sparring drills. Please watch the video and read the instructions, practice at home, and ask us if you have any questions!
Website update – The path to black belt
Tripharn has written an article for our website called “Your taekwondo journey“. It talks about the commitments and challenges of meeting your taekwondo goals and is valuable reading for all belt levels.