Four members of the club recently had the pleasure of attending a seminar given by Grandmaster Park Hae Man and held in Nottingham. Grandmaster Park is not only Grandmaster Loh’s own instructor, but is also an instrumental figure in the development of modern Taekwondo and one of four Grandmasters who originally devised the Tae Geuk poomsae. Although the focus of the day was on working through the set of Tae Geuk patterns, Grandmaster Park also took the time to show us certain high-level one-step sparring techniques. This was both a rare opportunity to train in the UK under an eminent Korea based Grandmaster and also a rare opportunity to watch Grandmaster Loh himself training under his instructor – teaching us that the learning and practice of Taekwondo is very much a lifetime journey!
The poomsae are designed as a form of physical and mental conditioning, introducing stances, blocks and strikes as the series progresses, while one-step sparring is designed to train the ability to quickly (if not simultaneously) defend and counterattack. The seminar, although tiring, was immensely enjoyable and we returned to London inspired to keep working on both aspects of our Taekwondo practice. A special thank you goes out to Chris for driving us there and back, and to the Nottingham club for hosting.
By Adedayo Ajibade