Taekwondo v13i06

COMBAT0808

23/7/08 14:14

Page 137

TAEKWONDO & KOREAN MARTIAL ARTS MAGAZINE

VOLUME 13 | ISSUE 6 AUGUST 2008

THE TURNING KICK

Prepare for fundamental kicking

HONG KI KIM

Setting the Olympic standard!

2008 TRADITIONAL TSD FEDERATION TOURNAMENT

TAEKWONDO INTERNATIONAL

2008 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS Visit the TKD-KMA magazine website at www.taekwondomag.co.uk

UKT003/01

COMBAT0808

22/7/08 17:52

Page 138

COMBAT0808

23/7/08 11:49

Page 139

KEEPING THE SCORE! Setting the Olympic standard!

An interview with Hong Ki Kim, WTF’s referee committee chairman The Olympic Referee Refresher Course for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games opened at the Beijing Shichahai Sports School in downtown Beijing, China on July 14, 2008, for a four-day run with the 29 international referees who will officiate in the Olympic taekwondo competitions on Aug. 20-23, 2008.

Dr. Chungwon Choue, President of the World Taekwondo Federation, told the international referees in his welcoming speech at the opening ceremony that they are in elite company, but with such status comes the responsibility to ensure the ‘most exciting, most dynamic and fairest taekwondo competitions ever.’

This course, held for the first time outside Korea, will mainly focus on match management skills, thorough understanding of the WTF Competition Rules and gaining of experience in match simulation practices. The referees will visit the University of Science and Technology Beijing - the taekwondo venue for the taekwondo competitions at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Different people have different interpretations of the rules and in the past this led to many inconsistencies and confusion. My first goal was to unify the criteria and then implement a consistent application of the rules on a world-wide level. To this end, I taught referee courses in every Region one voice to maintain this consistency.

By T.Vohra

Dr. Choue is able to make this confident statement because he chose the right person for the job, Referee Committee Chairman Hong Ki Kim to set a uniform standard. But the going wasn’t always easy!

Master Kim is an International Referee. He was Secretary General of the Pan American Taekwondo Union for four years.

He was a member of the WTF’s Games Committee for six years and attended various Olympic Games, Regional Olympic Programme Games, and nearly all the Taekwondo World Championships and World Cup Tournaments. Over the years he has gained considerable experience through participating as Head of Team or through providing technical assistance.

What steps have you taken to improve refereeing?

The keys to a successful competition refereeing, are 1) Selecting honest, impartial referees with considerable experience; 2) Constantly upgrading their education and training 3) Good allocation of referees in the ring Today’s Taekwondo competition is both fast and dynamic.

The very nature of our sport makes it difficult to referee so we have to keep up with and use technological advances to improve our referees’ skills.

WWW.TAEKWONDOMAG.CO.UK TKD/KMA 139

COMBAT0808

22/7/08 17:52

Page 140

The International Referee Committee Progress Report given to the Executive Council Meeting held in Vietnam on July 24th 2006 formalised our brief, and I quote: The goals of this Committee are to comply with the Reform programme initiated by Dr. Choue as pertaining to referee matters, and work to enhance standards of refereeing and judging in TKD competition. The two main components are the education process and the selection process.

As regards the Education Process, we aim to change the course format; give referees more time to practise the decision-making process; change the course format; provide more realistic training; improve the materials used and set higher standards for referees.

As regards the Referee Selection Process, we aim to restructure the referee selection process and reduce bureaucracy.

What difficulties have you faced?

Some people criticised my work and made it more difficult.

There are always those who are resistant to change or who want to be the main actor on the stage. However, I tried to concentrate just on my work and not be distracted by those people. Fortunately I have also had a lot of support.

What still needs to be done?

The technical and administrative sides of the Referee Department have to be completely separate. The administrative side should only provide logistical support. The Referee Committee must be independent and responsible for excellent results. The less interference from outside sources, the better those results will be.

Previously refresher courses were 18 hours long! Ten hours and 40 minutes were spent practising hand signals. Seven hours and 20 minutes were spent covering theory!

Nowadays refresher courses are 25 hours long and divided as follows: 5 hours practising hand signals, 8 hours of theory, 3 hours practising scoring, 3 hours of competition simulation, 2 hours for group discussion and analysis and 2 hours of physical tests. We have implemented the use of audiovisual and interactive tools.

We still need to provide more practice in real-life competition situations and continue to improve by using new methods and technology. We should begin to see results in the near future.

COMBAT0808

22/7/08 17:52

Page 141

Since my appointment in September last year we conducted seven refresher courses, including the one in Vietnam, in each of the five regions. Approximately 677 referees have taken the refresher course. We have also conducted three new referee courses, educating approximately 315 referees of whom about 83% have been selected as meeting our new higher standards.

We conducted a close evaluation and study of all referees who took refresher courses in order to establish standards for referee selection.

As regards the selection process, we requested federations to provide more detailed recommendations of referees with information on their experience and health.

Changes that have not yet occurred - but that need to be made - concern the duties of the administrative staff of the WTF Referee Department. They should provide administrative support only and should not be involved in the decisionmaking process. This is the responsibility of the Referee Committee in conjunction with the Secretary General.

Once a decision is made, the Secretary General will instruct the Referee Department accordingly. This will avoid bureaucratic delays and make the whole process more efficient.

And have you achieved all the goals you hoped for?

I regret that I have not! I was obliged to write a letter to the Secretary General in which I pointed out that none of my recommendations were being taken into account and I thought he should be made aware of this. I went on to say how, at the beginning of the new Presidency, we implemented a series of changes in the Referee Department and, as the President stated in his yearly report, there have been very positive results. Therefore I think it would be a big mistake to experiment with new methods on the advent of the Olympic Games.

The list of referees for the test event is not balanced. Three countries have more than one referee. The most experienced referees, who hold up well under pressure, have not yet been selected.

Excluding the World Qualification Event, we have referees who have participated in only one regional event.

Incidentally, those who participated in more than one event have invested around $10,000. Surely it’s only fair that those who made this level of investment should be the ones to benefit.

More importantly, this is a TEST event that should be used for training the referees, the athletes and NTO’s. I feel this opportunity will be wasted by selecting different referees.

I concluded by saying that in my view, the Evaluation Committee of two professors is not expert in referee matters.

I believe their recommendations are valuable but they should not make the final decision!

So how did you start off your Korean seminar to introduce the latest changes in the Competition Rules?

next three days is about you, the referees. The job of a Taekwondo referee, by the very nature of the sport, is particularly difficult. We have to keep up with technological advances. Today’s competitors are continually evolving and improving. As referees we need to do the same. A competitor trains every day for years to reach a World Championship. How often do you practise refereeing? How many of you have had time to read and analysed the new Competition Rules?’

I went on to explain that we need to make the most of the three days of the seminar. I told them, ‘My job is to make you aware of the changes and to clarify any doubts that you may have about these or any other parts of the rules. Your job is to leave here with the knowledge and a clear understanding of the interpretation and application of the rules.’

It was important that they come to see our goal as being to unify all criteria so as to ensure that athletes compete on a level playing field and lose a match only because the opponent is better - and not because of a poor performance by the referee! An incorrect interpretation of the rules casts doubts on the integrity of a referee and puts a blemish on the referees, the WTF and the sport of taekwondo!

Wise words! And in conclusion?

I asked the participants, ‘What are the three most important components of a sports event? They are the athletes, the spectators and the referees.’ I went on to explain that, ‘The

Just let me say that Taekwondo needs top class referees to match our top class competitors!

WWW.TAEKWONDOMAG.CO.UK TKD/KMA 141

COMBAT0808

22/7/08 17:52

Page 142

Dae do I

N

T

E

R

N

A

T

I

O

N

A

L

WE STOCK THE ENTIRE TAEKWONDO RANGE! PRO 15733 FOREARM GUARD ‘COMFORT’ MADE OF MOULDED FOAM WITH THE SHAPE OF THE FOREARM AND COATED WITH LEATHERETTE. TIED UP WITH A FLEXIBLE RUBBER BAND. COMFORTABLE. SIZE: XS-S-M-L-XL

PRO 20553 HEAD GEAR WTF RECOGNIZED RED/BLUE. LIGHTWEIGHT AND RESISTANT. FOR COMPETITION AND TRAINING. SIZE: S-M-L-XL

PRO 15933 HAND PROTECTOR COMPETITION WTF RECOGNIZED COLOUR: WHITE SIZE: XS-S-M-L-XL-XXL

TA1O11 DOBOK WTF STYLE WITH WHITE COLLAR LIGHTWEIGHT. ‘TAEKWDNDO’ EMBROIDERY ON THE BACK OF THE JACKET. WIDE TROUSERS WITH ELASTIC WAIST. 65% POLYESTER 35% COTTON PRO 15613 COMPLETE MALE CUP GROIN GUARD WTF RECOGNIZED MADE OF HARD PLASTIC COATED WITH LEATHERETTE FOR BETTER SAFETY SIZE: S-M-L-XL

PRO 15934 FEET PROTECTOR TAEKWONDO TRAINING COLOUR: WHITE SIZE: XS-S-M-L-XL

PRO 16533 CHEST PROTECTOR WTF RECOGNIZED NEW DESIGN FOR NEW COMPETITION RULES. RED/BLUE. LIGHTWEIGHT AND RESISTANT. FOR COMPETITION AND TRAINING. SIZE: XS-S-M-L-XL PATENTED MODEL GOL002/01

Send all orders to: Gold Force, Unit 5, 245 Station Road, Dunscroft, Doncaster, DN7 4DY

Tel: 01302 846 258 Fax: 01302 846 888 Visit: Daedo.co.uk e-mail: goldforce@tiscali.co.uk Order over the telephone / All major credit cards accepted Please make all cheques payable to Goldforce (P&P £5.00 on all orders)

COMBAT0808

22/7/08 17:52

Page 143

KUKKIWON Certification Available Now! Kukkiwon grades are cited around the world as one of the most credible qualifications available to the martial arts community.

Now you can apply for certification, regardless of style. ● Independent 8th Dan instructor BASED IN THE UK! ● Seminars and course in the UK and abroad ● All gradings certification direct from Kukkiwon Korea. ● Groups or individuals catered for.

Call today to find out more!

● Any and All grades up to 7th Dan catered for. ● Full certification from Kukkiwon HQ supplied. ● Check yours or anyones credentials on the Kukkiwon website. ● WTF or ITF or Independent stylists welcomed. ● No Politics - Just good practitioners invited. ● Kukkiwon gradings are open to any practitioner. ● Pre-grading tuition is also offered. ● Group visits to Kukkiwon in Korea can be arranged.

Grand Master Tony Vohra. 8th Dan. Kukkiwon registered.

Nottingham School of Martial Arts, Ilkeston Road, Nottingham, NG7 3FX

Further details or to ask any questions call us on:

Tel: 0115 9780439 Mob: 07980041864 E-mail: info@martialartsvohra.com Fax: 0115 9785567

Web: www.martialartsvohra.com

In association with:

I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU! If you’ve ever wanted to take a true kukkiwon sanctioned grading but couldn’t afford to go to Korea to do it - LET KOREA COME TO YOU! SSV001/02

COMBAT0808

22/7/08 17:52

Page 144

TURNING KICK Introduction article to prepare for fundamental kicking continued,

by Grandmaster Tony Vohra.

We will be covering turning kick in this article. Turn your body as you perform this kick and make impact with the ball of your foot though you can also impact with the instep or shin, depending on distance. It’s important to go from sparring stance to the target as quickly as possible using a diagonal movement.

As with the techniques covered in earlier articles, I will explain: a) How the technique should be performed; b) How to practice the technique;

3) The kick is retracted in the same way to allow multiple kicks and also to cover you body so you are not open to counter attack.

3) Next, stand as before, bringing your rear leg to the buttock. Quickly extend your leg while breathing out. Return it to the original position while breathing in.

Remember to kick from floor to target as quickly as you can. Train first with your weaker leg and work towards good balance and correct body posture. Use a chair or wall to hold the correct posture if you find it difficult to balance. Practise kicking in front of a mirror and look at how you shape up. Hold the kick at full extension before pulling it back.

Repeat this 10 times in quick succession and without dropping your knee or lowering your kicking foot to the ground. Then fully retrieve the leg and return to fighting stance. Work both legs three times.

When holding position for 10 seconds and performing 10 turning kicks becomes too easy, then gradually increase reps to 15 and then 20.

Work to develop power, beginning from your preferred sparring stance and guard. Aim to kick through the target’s centre line.

These exercises strengthen and lengthen all the muscles used in turning kick.

Remember to keep your body as high as possible so as to develop better balance. You can take your hands off the wall and make a proper guard once your balance improves. Perform these exercises in front of a mirror when you are more confident.

c) Its application and targets; d) An exercise routine to make your legs stronger and your technique better; Turning kick delivered either with front or rear leg can deliver a tremendous impact when the correct body movement is used.

1) When performing turning kick, it is important to bend the knee so your foot is close to the buttocks, your knee is lifted and to the side of the shoulder.

2) The knee swings around until it points to the target and the foot goes through it. Impact is made with the ball of the foot with toes pulled back.

The kicking hip rolls over the top of the other, which points backwards.

Once the basic movement is mastered, it is simply a question of practice makes perfect.

Practising with a partner helps develop your technique and practise turning kick from both static and moving modes. Aim the kick at focus mitts, floppy pads, punch bags, wall targets and even your partner to develop accuracy. Remember: you can kick with the ball of foot, instep or shin depending on how far away your target is.

Here’s another routine to develop and strengthen your body for turning kick.

Begin in sparring stance.

1) Stand half facing/half alongside a wall. Rest the hand closest against it for balance.

2) Use your weaker leg first. That’s the one furthest from the wall. It’s your rear leg and you bring it up to the buttocks before extending it into a turning kick and rotating your kicking hip over the top. Turn your body to the side and pay particular attention to foot positions. Your body should be as high as possible. Use both arms for support, with the kicking leg straight, toes turned down and heel up. Hold this position for 10 seconds before bringing the leg back in the same manner it was extended - slowly and with correct form. Once you have completed the kick, repeat it on the other leg. Do 3 reps on both legs.

144 TKD/KMA WWW.TAEKWONDOMAG.CO.UK

Practise turning movements of the hips and body in rapid succession so you can develop the maximum of movement and rotation.

Skipping and stance-changing are excellent drills for helping you develop the correct body movement. Practise on your toes and move from sparring stance into turning kick so the hip rolls over. Your muscles will become stronger and looser if you alternate your stances. and this will improve your overall suppleness and your technique.

Master Tony Vohra is always pleased to advise individual students, clubs and instructors and he will arrange courses & seminars to suit at home and abroad.

For further details, for individual stretching programmes or for access to Kukkiwon certification, contact: President Grandmaster S. S. Vohra (8th dan), International School of Martial Arts UK HQ, Nottingham School of Tae Kwon Do, Ilkeston Rd., Nottingham NG7 3FX, England. Tel: 00 44 (0)115 9780439 Fax: 00 44 (0)115 9785567 web site: www.martialartsvohra.com or www.mastervohra.com Emails: info@martialartsvohra.com mastervohra@www.mastervohra.com

COMBAT0808

22/7/08 17:52

Page 145

WWW.TAEKWONDOMAG.CO.UK TKD/KMA 145

22/7/08 17:53

Page 146

ICT001/01

COMBAT0808

MBI001/02

TLP001/02

COMBAT0808

22/7/08 17:53

Page 147

KUK001/03

COMBAT0808

22/7/08 17:53

Page 148

TAE KWON DO INTERNATIONAL 2008 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS Svenson’s Gold Heist The Neptune Centre in Cork, in the Republic of Ireland was the venue for the two day TI European Champion-ships, hosted by Mr. Brian Buckley 6th Dan. There were 1,000 competitors taking part from around Europe. The first day was for black belt individual divisions only, in sparring and patterns. The second day began with junior and adult coloured belt individuals finishing with National Black Belt teams. The TAGB England men’s team took gold in this event and the TAGB Wales ladies team took gold in their event.

It was nice to see Joseph Schembri from Wales back to his best and winning gold in the lightweight division, beating England Captain, Gordon Fearn in a terrific final. Warren Vice added another honour to his long list of victories beating his Polish opponent, stopping him with a back kick in the second round. Vice just seems unbeatable at whatever weight he fights. TAGB rising star Tyrrell Belony beat his German opponent in the Welterweight final; this boy is destined for great things. John Svenson from Norway won the Black Belt Executive final beating ‘Action’ Jackson White’ and then won Gold in the Executive Patterns, Silver in the normal Black Belt Patterns, before winning Gold in the Black Belt Destruction with a forefist punch.

Four medals 3 gold, 1 silver, what a great competitor and all around martial artist!

148 TKD/KMA WWW.TAEKWONDOMAG.CO.UK

COMBAT0808

22/7/08 17:53

Page 149

COMBAT0808

22/7/08 17:53

Page 150

150 TKD/KMA WWW.TAEKWONDOMAG.CO.UK

COMBAT0808

22/7/08 17:53

Page 151

TAE KWON DO

INTERNATIONAL 2008 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

COMBAT0808

22/7/08 17:52

Page 136

SAM DO T R A D I N G

L I M I T E D

速

adidas

WE ARE THE SOLE UK DISTRIBUTORS OF adidas TKD UNIFORMS, TKD SHOES & EQUIPMENT. 速

557 Chester Road, Old Trafford, Manchester, M16 0QW, England

Tel: 0161-848 7426 Fax: 0161-848 0436 E-Mail: twshin@btinternet.com Website: www.samdo.co.uk Show room open Mon-Fri (10 am - 4 pm)

SAM001/02

Footware Uniforms Protection Kick Targets and more!

COMBAT0808

22/7/08 17:54

Page 153

2008 Traditional Tang Soo Do Federation

Tournament Earlier this year, the largest event in the history of the Traditional Tang Soo Do Federation and the United Tang Soo Do Congress took place, when Master John Trudgill hosted dignitaries from two continents and over 600 competitors at the annual Traditional Tang Soo Do Federation Tournament in Cardiff, Wales. Such competitor numbers makes the Cardiff tournament one of the largest, if not THE largest Tang Soo Do Tournaments ever held in the UK. John said, never before has an event in Wales featured three Grandmasters (Richard Byrne of Massachusetts, Benedetto Stumpf of Germany and Dominic Giaccobbe of New Jersey), as well as one of the highest ranking females in Tang Soo Do in the World, Master Penny Mitchell.

The Tournament The tournament featured Tang Soo Do practitioners of every level from all over the United Kingdom, many competitors also travelled from schools in Germany, Holland and the United States.

A capacity crowd filled the National Indoor Athletic Centre at The University of Wales in Cardiff, both spectators and competitors filling this prestigious venue. The morning session featured competition among all of the black belts. The competition amongst these senior grades turned out to be one of the most skillful demonstrations of the art ever seen.

The competition was spirited, but not mean-spirited - it was a tremendous event. From the smallest to the tallest, from young to old, there was something for everyone, and an event that was a

treat for all participants and spectators.

The youngest competitor was 4 years of age with the oldest being well into their 60’s, everyone who attended the tournament had a great day in an atmosphere of friendly competition.

well as a superior martial artist. This was an honour truly deserves. At the same time, Grandmaster Stumpf welcomed Grandmaster Byrne into the Black Belt Dan College of the World Nibuiki Budo Federation.

Special congratulations go to: Mr. Adam Tondour Grand Champion, Sparring, Mr. Scott Richards, Grand Champion, Forms Mrs. Sian Moran, Grand Champion, Female, Mr. Scott Richards, Grand Champion, Weapons.

The Tang Soo Do Weekend.

As good as the tournament was, it was neither the beginning nor the end of the weekend for many of the Tang Soo Do students. The busy period began on Friday with a Masters test in Treorchy, followed by a Dan test Friday night in Pencoed.

Promotions The day featured two notable promotions. The first of these took place when Grandmaster Richard Byrne, President and founder of the American Tang Soo Do Association and the United Tang Soo Do Congress, promoted Master John Trudgill, founder of the Traditional Tang Soo Do Federation, to Sixth Dan. Master John Trudgill has been practicing Tang Soo Do for over 25 years and has traveled all over the World to further his knowledge of the Art. In recognition of his dedication and commitment to the Art of Tang Soo Do Master Trudgill was inducted into the ATA / UTC Hall of Fame in March 2008.

The second was when Grandmaster Benedetto Stumpf and the German Tang Soo Do Federation promoted Grandmaster Richard Byrne to Ninth Dan. It goes without saying that this was a very great honour as there are very few Ninth Dans. However, those who have been privileged to watch and work with him over the years know what an inspiration he is and, a great teacher as

On Sunday morning, it was back to Pencoed again, where hundreds of locals students, as well as many of the internationals, attended a set of seminars. “Seminars” can cover many things, and be of varying quality - this set featured the very best teachers of Martial Arts in the world. Grandmaster Richard Byrne and Grandmaster Benedetto Stumpf each spent time teaching various self-defense techniques. Master Penny Mitchell taught an introduction to the Korean sword art of Haidong Gumdo, and Master David Rexer taught one-step sparring techniques and their applications.

If you are a Tang Soo Do student, well, it just doesn’t get any better than that. For most Tang Soo Do students, the opportunities to train with Grandmasters and very high ranking Masters are indeed few and far between. To work with them all in one morning is a dream seminar.

We all know that Tang Soo Do originated in Korea, but for this one weekend, the centre of the Tang Soo Do World was Wales.

WWW.TAEKWONDOMAG.CO.UK TKD/KMA 153

COMBAT0808

23/7/08 14:34

Page 154

POOMSAE SEMINAR In association with UK Taekwondo development council

Sunday 26th October Blackpool Sports Centre, West Park Rd, Blackpool FY3 9HQ Presented by; Master KYTU DANG 7th Dan 2007 World Poomsae Champion 7 times European Champion International Poomsae trainer.

Model for TKD - DVD

This is a rare opportunity to Train in the UK with probably the Worlds most successful Poomsae competitor.

NOT TO BE MISSED LIMITED SPACES BOOK EARLY TO AVOID DISSAPOINTMENT. Timetable 10.00-12.00 all grades, basic movements and Poomsae principles, Sah - Pal Jang 1.00 - 4.00 Dan grades only advanced Poomsae movements, Koryo - Hansoo 5.00 - 6.00 closed session by invitation only

COST £15 per session, both sessions £25 UKT003/02

Discounts available for Instructors bringing 10 or more students For further information contact UKTDC

enquiries@uktdc.org.uk

www.uktdc.org.uk