Banstead TaeKwon-Do offers WAY more than just teaching the TaeKwon-Do ITF
Beginner Bravery
Back in June 2021 we were allowed to start real life martial arts classes again, albeit with modifications to fall in line with the COVID risk assessments. Despite the restrictions the club had an influx of new beginner students, those students who stayed with us during July, August, and September have just endured their first official ITF TaeKwon-Do Grading. Beginners have no idea what a Martial Arts grading consists of, and even after the event when a new junior received his award he wasn't aware what a grading was - that lack of knowledge is clearly down to me, I will do better in explaining the processes to all students.
October 13th 2021
About 5 or 6 weeks ago we set the date for our first club grading since returning to training after Lockdowns and Zoom sessions, this gave all students enough time to sharpen up their new skills OR, for the highest students, really have time to peak their fitness and ability for the toughest of tests.
We use The Beacon School sports hall and I set up a table for me to work from and allowed parents and partners to come in and watch the event. Our gradings are not closed doors, anyone is welcome, we are proud of what we do.
During a grading a student is expected to perform various aspects of TaeKwon-Do that they have been training in at their experience level AND they are expected then to engage their brain and perform combinations of movements they may not have previously practiced. There is also a large theory element of gradings where I look for a real understanding of the material.
Tough Times
I had 23 students to grade ranging from people's first grading after just a few months of training right up to students with more than a decade of training 'under their belt'.
Our classes range from being very physically demanding to sometimes being quite chilled and technical, depending on what we need to work on. However, in a grading, everyone is pushed physically and mentally - but of course, only within realistic expectations dependent on the students experience level.
Therefore, the students who have been with me a long time had a real tough physically demanding grading time running through all their Technical Patterns, Kicking Ability, Step Sparring, Self Defence and Applied Techniques, Free Sparring (Kickboxing), Sparring 2 people at once, and POWER TEST to top it off.
I was most impressed with the fitness, conditioning, perseverance, body weight strength of all my senior level students. They all dug deep and rose above very difficult scenarios.
Technical Patterns
Patterns form a large part of the syllabus, they teach us many things, and each grading level has a new one to learn. Each pattern teaches the student something new about themselves, their abilities, things to improve, and a new way to practice the TaeKwon-Do Principles of:
Reaction Force
Equilibrium & Breath Control
Speed
Concentration of Power
Accuracy
This is Edie, my most senior colour belt student at the grading, she will be grading for Blackbelt in June 2022 we hope.
Congratulations
Congratulations are due to those students that were successful on this occasion, well done to all you did a great job and should be proud of your achievements. This image shows the belts levels and colours for your context. The next grading will be for those who were not eligible for this most recent event.
Get Involved
If developing power, graceful movement, fitness, strength, control, mobility, are all physical attributes your desire in your life and if greater mental clarity, ability to focus & concentrate, overcoming fears and doing good in your community are all things you want to work on then please contact me and come along for a trial of Banstead TaeKwon-Do
-------------------------------------------------- James Davis 5th Degree International Instructor & Examiner Banstead TaeKwon-Do m: 07850 438 898 e: james@bansteadtkd.co.uk w: www.bansteadtkd.co.uk
i: www.instagram.com/bansteadtaekwondo/ f: www.facebook.com/BansteadTKD/ t: twitter.com/bansteadtkd --------------------------------------------------
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