Taekwondo4All

28/09/2026

Congratulations to all our newly promoted students!

Despite car breakdowns, first-ever gradings and a few unexpected visitors looking for the police safety meeting (!), everyone remained composed under pressure and performed with resilience and confidence.

Well done to the following students on progressing to their next belt colour:

Blue belt:
Jordyn Smalley

Green tag:
Samrah Refaat

Yellow belt:
Hamuun Farah

Yellow tag:
Toni Fox
Harper Pallett
Lottie Voss
Esme Colley

18/09/2026

I was just as disappointed as anyone by Sweeney’s “just sports” ad, but I actually wouldn’t have even noticed it without the massive media coverage - exactly the attention its gambling-company creator wanted.

That’s why this response from Women in Sport is so spot on.

“[..] let’s stop talking about naked women in ads, and start talking about the real reasons why our sportswomen are not celebrated enough in the media, are not given the same financial backing, and are the subject of horrendous online harm. Let’s focus on the real reasons why girls lose their self-belief in sport (we are NOT born underconfident) and ensure we all know what misogyny really means so, together, we can stamp it out.”

(Naked) Woman in Adverts vs. Women in Sport Why we didn’t talk in the media.

17/09/2026

Children’s safety must come first in martial arts. A new NSPCC report reinforces concerns I’ve raised for the past couple of years: concussion awareness can no longer be optional.

I believe concussion training should be mandatory for every coach who teaches sparring and for all competition officials, judges, umpires and referees. First Aid certification is rightly required, so why isn’t sport-specific concussion training standard too?

We should also have an honest conversation about age-appropriate contact: I believe there should be no head contact before 16, and only very light contact from 16 to 18. Head contact is part of all striking martial arts, but rules already make other vulnerable areas illegal targets, so why not ensure children’s developing brains have the same protection?

Other sports have already taken action. Football has phased out all deliberate heading in U7–U11 matches, while rugby has established concussion education and age-grade safety measures that ensure any tackling is below the sternum (with non-contact tag rugby played by under 8s).

At the very least, every instructor and competition official should be trained to recognise concussion early so they can remove a child from activity and explain to parents the warning signs.

It’s time for our sport to catch up and put our young athletes’ wellbeing ahead of tradition.

https://sport.nspcc.org.uk/resources-and-tools/publications/what-parents-told-us-about-martial-arts-and-combat-sports/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Funding%20%26%20Organisational%20Support%20Newsletter%20September%202026

12/07/2026

12/07/2026

Some photos from yesterday's competition. Hugely proud of our 3 competitors Carla, Eva and Vanessa, for whom it was the very first time they had ever competed. Lots of experience gained and a fun day out. Well done all, and a thank you to both the UKITF and Region 12 for organising, as well as our students Samrah and Zoha for travelling all the way there to support. x

10/07/2026

I'm running a self-defence workshop for girls heading off to secondary school in August/September - information is below. Please share with anyone who might find it useful!

After hearing from local parents — and feeling the same worries myself as my Year 6 daughter gets ready to start secondary school in September — I’ve created a friendly empowerment and self-defence workshop for girls aged 11–12.

The session is age-appropriate and supportive, introducing self-defence in a sensitive, empowering way. Girls will learn practical tools to recognise risk, set boundaries and respond with more confidence.

📅 Saturday 5th September from 9am–11.30am
📍 St Anne’s Community Hall, Letchworth Road, LE3 6FN

More details and booking here: https://www.unbreakableselfdefence.com/empowerment-self-defence-for-girls

23/06/2026

Upcoming regional competition for UKITF students, providing a fantastic opportunity for students to gain valuable ring experience, test their skills, and continue their development within competition.

The event is specially aimed at those who have never competed before and would like to try without the pressure associated with a national competition.


Date: Saturday 11th July – East Regional Championships
Venue: The Holbeach Hub, Boston Road South, Holbeach, PE12 7LR


The closing date for entries is Wednesday 08th July.

17/06/2026

05/06/2026

An updated calendar of our taekwondo events this year, with the new UKITF East Regional competition on Sat 11th July.

This regional competition is a new initiative to encourage students who might be considering competing, but find the prospect of a national competition understandably daunting. The aim is to proved a competitive event without the pressure and expectations that accompany the bi-annual competition that they run.

The events are: patterns, sparring and breaking, and you can enter 1, 2 or all 3 events - it's up to you. Competitors are matched as closely as possible with similar grades and weights.

Please let me know if it's something you'd be interested in entering!