Home Counties Martial Arts

Thank you for the wonderful surprise at our training session last night - Olivia we’ll have to work on your distraction technique! 🤣🤣

I was really touched by the kind words and wonderful present!

The biggest thrill for me is seeing you all grow, whether your my newest Little PUMAs (Charlie & Isla), those progressing from Little PUMAs to juniors, seeing you all developing your skills as you move through the belts or black tags going for Black (Alice & Charlotte).

Thank you for the support you’ve all given me over recent months, it is heart warming!

I will chill today and look forward to seeing you all on Monday.

What a day, 6 more students up for their next belts.

Alvin - a Little PUMA turned 10th KUP going for his purple stripe.

Bobbie Rose and Molly, Lille PUMAs turned PUMA1s going for PUMA2.

Felix and Sam, two green stripes going for Green.

Neil, going from Green to Blue stripe, one more steps towards becoming a senior Grade at Blue belt!

Not being one for holding back results I’d like to say a huge

CONGRATULATIONS

to everyone because they all passed, so new belts all round.

A special mention goes to Sam who not only passed but did so with DISTINCTION - a massive achievement and one that he can be so very proud of. I know after the grading Master Gayle (the grading examiner) spoke with Sam and gave him a few personal words of encouragement, which I hope he takes on board and applies to his training going forward!

Well done to all 6, another belt, under your belt - now the hard work begins towards the next belt.

Great day so far.

Travelled to Chipping Sudbury for a Jang B**g seminar and fantastic to now be an Orange bar, level 3.

Great to be among the wider Taekwon Do family!

Berkshire Area Taekwon Do Grading

Today was the smallest Taekwon Do grading I've known for many years, with only about 20 students in today grading.

Of that number I had 3, two yellow stripes and a red belt. To say it was an emotional day is an understatement.

The great news is that all adults grading today PASSED.

Before I talk about my own students I'd like to congratulate the two senior ladies that train with Miss Mo Hollingshead. Huge respect to both ladies for completing their 10th KUP grading!

So, congratulations to:

Daisy Wylie who is now an 8th KUP Yellow Belt. Daisy trains once a week and has shown real maturity and determination to succeed - add in the pressure of moving to secondary school just over a week ago absolutely fantastic result.

Alice Owen who has now reached 1st KUP. Being in such a small grading Alice had many questions fired at her throughout the grading by the grading examiner. Then there's the "table". Stood alone in front of the grading examiner can be daunting for anyone but Alice conducted herself extremely well and gave exceptional responses to the questions she was asked. As Alice is at Oxford Brooks University we don't get to see her too often but is a real asset to the school, especially being able to speak some Korean. I know they were tears of both JOY and RELIEF!

Finally, but by no means least, Sam Cleverley. Sam is now an 8th KUP Yellow belt with DISTINCTION. Sam has been with HCMA for about 9 months and in that time has really shone. His attitude in lessons is fantastic and his application to learning is second to none. Sam is an absolute joy to train, always asking questions and wanting to learn. This DISTINCTION is nothing less than Sam deserves and he should be immensely proud of his achievement.

Finally, a mention to Charlotte, one of HCMA's longest students. As 1st KUP, Charlotte is preparing herself for her Black Belt Grading next year. Part of that is to learn more about the workings within PUMA and to give back after the years of learning. Charlotte got the opportunity to sit on the other side of the question table today, helping graders through the difficult end of grading questions they are all subjected to. A huge well done to Charlotte!

Finally, a huge thank you to Master Gayle and the Berkshire Area Grading team. It is always a pleasure to be part of this family and to see how well all the students perform under pressure - a testament to all the instructors within Berkshire.

Birthdays are always the best time to look back and remember when your children were little.

So, rather than show recent pics of the most amazing son a dad could ask for, I thought I'd find some pics that have been hdden for years and one even I'd forgotten about.

Happy birtfday Jacob Critcher, what you've achieved in 24 short years is fantastic and can't wait to see what the next 24 years holds. By then I'll probably be in a wheel chair, needing you to help look after me!! 🤣🤣🤣

You bring a smile to the faces of everyone that you interact with, showing you have a real heart of gold!!

Let's raise a glass to the next 24 years!! Love you very much!

Just wanted to wish my 3 Taekwon Do students

Charlotte Taylor
Nina Worrall
Oliver Newbury

All the best as they embark on their GCSE journey. They've all put in huge amounts of hard work and revision over the past year and I know they'll get the results they deserve!!

GO SMASH IT!

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Isn't it amazing how, what could be classed as just another day can give you another huge lesson in life's long journey.

The Berkshire Area Taekwon Do grading provided that lesson.

To me life is like a game of snakes 🐍 & ladders🪜 - you're born and you've just come onto the board, you don't know what is above you or what dizzy heights you may reach.

Like snakes and ladders you take some steps up, think everything is going well and then something happens, you take a hit and you slide back down again, often beyond the point where you thought everything was good.

You never know what to expect. I never expected to fall out of a first floor window at the age of 6, breaking my leg and having to learn how to walk again. Life lesson - never jump without a parachute 🪂 because it hurts.

Then all the growing up stuff; moving houses; making friends, losing friends; changing schools; boyfriends/girlfriends, finding your one true love; starting working; changing jobs; getting married; getting divorced; starting over!

You buy your first house, bring another life into this world, an amazing daughter (Grace). Move house, bring another life into this world, an amazing son (Jacob) and it starts all over again.

You help them to navigate their own snakes 🐍 & ladders🪜 board, hoping they don't make the same mistakes that you did. Luckily, Jacob didn't fall out of a first floor window at 6 years old!

The lessons Grace and Jacob have taught me have been immense and I'm still learning - now they both have their own houses and forging their own amazing careers.

There's not "An Idiots Guide to being a Dad!". I'm sure if there was I would have made every single gaff in the book - actually, I could probably have written the book.

Then, just when you think you can't learn any more, you get another life lesson.

I opened my Taekwon Do school on 1st July 2019. If someone had told me that about 10 years earlier I would be a martial arts school owner that would have been the furthest from my thoughts.

When I opened the doors I had about 20 people turn up for the first lesson and then the realisation hits you - you're now responsible for the progression of these 20 people. Many of those that came along, came to support me (that's what friends do) but only two joined.

Following this I had two more, a great class of just 4 people, Charlotte & James Taylor (brother & sister), Paul and Tyra Greenwood (dad & daughter). Two of these students, Paul and Charlotte are still training.

Many have come and gone but the school is still thriving and I'm now coaching Little PUMAs (4 to 7 year olds), helping to shape their formative years.

Charlotte joined just after the summer of 2019, with her brother James as a fairly confident young lady, 11 years old.

As one of the first students to grade Charlotte has helped to shape my Taekwon Do coaching journey as she has progressed through the grades. Having successfully graded to 1st KUP on Sunday (with Alice grading to 2nd KUP and Nina grading to 3rd KUP) it's made me understand how much I've needed to change and adapt to help her and the other students on their Taekwon Do journeys.

Just when you think you're personal development can slow down you realise that it actually has to pick up a pace to help your students continue on their own personal journeys to Black Belt.

I know that my journey as a Taekwon Do school owner, instructor, referee and a student on his way to achieving his 2nd Degree does require to move to the another level.

This is a journey I'll be embarking on with my own senior grades and my peers in other schools and throughtout my parent organisation PUMA.

As I'll be doing with my senior grades (those at Blue Belt and above) I'll be helping them develop a plan called (something like) "From Blue to Black and Beyond", where we can clearly identify the actions that we need to take to get us to that next level.

This undoubtedly will include many personal challenges, working outside of our comfort zones and pushing ourselves beyond our own perceived limits.

I'm so looking forward to this challenge, helping to make myself a better instructor, my students and myself better martial artists and generally improve who we are as individuals.

The benefit to the other members of HCMA will be huge. They'll get hands on support and advice from people that know what it takes to become a senior grade.

A massive new challenge for myself and all students of HCMA. Keep watching to see how we progress.

Congratulations to 4 of the 5 who graded on Sunday.

Alice achieved 2nd KUP, Charlotte 1st KUP and a new 3rd KUP and my newest student achieving his first belt 9th KUP. The missing student successfully graded to 5th KUP.

As it was his first grading and he passed with a credit it was an honour to present him with the grading award.

What a day!! A day that has made me reflect on my personal Taekwon Do journey.

Today I had 5 students at the Berkshire Area Grading at the Kennet School in Thatcham. These 5 students ranged from my newest student, Sam, attempting to get his first promotion (yellow stripe) and my longest serving student, Charlotte, going for her black stripe (one away from black belt).

It was a privilege today to be the "demonstrator", the person at the front of the grading that demonstrates the techniques to the junior grades.

This got me thinking that only 5 years ago, 1st July 2019 I opened the doors to Home Counties Martial Arts and never anticipated that I would be where I am now!

Today was a day of real reflection of my own Taekwon Do journey and where I go from here.

Today made me realise that I'm actually a distance from being in a position to be a 2nd Degree Black Belt!

I have good knowledge of patterns but I could know more!

I have reasonable flexibility and fitness but it could be better! Is my training regime outside of the Dojang enough?

Is my desire to be a 2nd Degree Black Belt strong enough? Am I content to be a 1st Degree?

My students are achieving good results but could they be better? Should I be challenging them more and be harder on them during training?

Is the support for my organisation enough?

Am I pushing myself hard enough to make 2nd Degree?

I was extremely touched when Charlotte said that I inspired her during her questions at the table by Master Gayle.

It gave me the realisation that I am respected for what I've helped my students achieve and they look to me as their role model on how their Taekwon Do journeys develop.

It made me realise that I do need to push myself to the next level because my students will follow my example. I just need to get into the mindset of a 2nd Degree Black Belt!

I'm thankful for having such a great bunch of students and look forward to working with them on the next stage of their journey, whatever their next belt may be!