Master Moon won his gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics by defeating Greece’s Alexandros Nikolaidis in the heavyweight division. Although our fitness levels were tested to their limits, it was a rare and excellent opportunity to train with an Olympic gold medallist here in the UK.

The course covers the black belt syllabus and aims to provide coaching and training tips from Grand Master Loh for those members practising for higher level gradings. The day concentrated on the theory and practise of poomsae, kicking techniques and one step sparring.

The course was very useful and informative as could be seen by the conversations had on the journey back. Everyone returned to London with individual feedback and ideas of what to concentrate on in future weekend senior training sessions.

By Simon Smith

Grandmaster Loh visited London in May to take the London club grading. He also presented Mr Jake Bender, club instructor, with his 3rd Dan certificate, and presented new black belts Jemima Kingsley, Abi Barber, Clare Everett and Hannah Wray with their certificates also.

Unfortunately, the regular full club photo wasn’t possible this time, but we did take a picture of us all celebrating the grading at a meal afterwards.

Congratulations to everyone who passed the grading!

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

We practiced a great deal of different kicks, combinations of kicks and sparring under the supervision and guidance of Grandmaster Loh, all of which will improve our technique, speed and agility for the upcoming competition. This challenging course is not for the fainthearted, however, every member of TTA London came away from this course with a smile, some impressive bruises and much more confidence in their sparring ability.

Thank you to Will and Mr Bender, our designated drivers, Chris for arranging accommodation and to TTA Leeds for arranging a much needed evening social dinner!

By Hannah Wray

The first part of this event was a lecture by Grandmaster Loh, who explained the legal and practical aspects of teaching students up to yellow belt. The second part was a more practical session of different members of the TTA taking the class; Chris, Dayo, Lauren and Hannah were lucky enough to be able to teach a section of the lesson under the guidance of Grandmaster Loh. This was made slightly more nerve wracking due to ninety percent of the class being made up of black belts, however, all performed well even under all of that pressure!

It was a fantastic experience for all involved, and a great deal was learnt and will be put into practice in the future by those who attended. A special thank you goes out to Chris for arranging the transport and accommodation.

By Hannah Wray

Members of the TTA London club at the February 2010 grading. Club instructor Mr Jake Bender is on the left and Grandmaster Loh is on the right.

Click on the picture to see a larger version.

TTA London members at the grading in November. Club instructor Mr Jake Bender is on the left and Grandmaster Loh is on the right. Click on the picture for a larger image.

An oppressively autumnal Sunday provided the backdrop for the annual individuals’ competition. A pleasingly exhausting weekend in Scotland’s biggest city offered everything a TKD event could – spectacle, debate, groupies and above all, fun.

TTA London was well represented with many members either competing or refereeing – several for the first time. The results were encouraging with medals won both in the patterns and sparring categories. Our fighting styles varied from elegant to robust but everyone who made the journey north showed composure and determination in the heat of battle. The experience demonstrated that there are few better places to hone one’s TKD skills than under competition conditions with the noise and pressure that the contest provides.

Those making their debuts in the ref jerseys had the excellent opportunity to put what they learnt on the refereeing course to practical use. The experience, in front of the onlooking Grandmaster and Master Loh, will prove invaluable and all showed knowledge and authority in the ring. There was a bit of everything to test them across the three fighting arenas and the internet forum remains hot with talk of that kick.

Our coach, organiser, taxi driver and spiritual leader, Mr Bender provided a great deal of useful support & advice before, after and during the competition. It will be vital again next year when the club will strive for even higher standards in the 2010 team competition.

Adam Williams

Referees
Simon Smith
Sarah Tryfan
Jemima Kingsley
Clare Everett
Chris Gilmartin
Adedayo Ajibade
Abi Barber

Poomse
Sarah Tryfan
Jemima Kingsley
Adedayo Ajibade
Chris Gilmartin – Gold
Abi Barber – Bronze

Sparring
Val Kostas – Silver
Richard Price – Bronze
Paul Spurgeon – Silver
Duncan MacLeod – Silver
Dillon Pola – Bronze
Adam Williams – Gold