How I Prepare for a Grading

My Prepartions for a Grading

Yeah OK OK... I know its early as the grading isn't until 9th June, but for me it's never to early to start thinking about what's on the grading practical and theory sheets. Remember if you've lost your sheet you can download and print out a new one from the members section on the Phoenix website. Please see your instructor for username and password.

So what do I personally do to prepare for a grading? Probably the same as most of you, read the sheets, listen to my instructor (yes, I really do listen) and ask questions if there is something I am uncertain of.... but there are a couple of additional things I do, this is probably over-preparing but you know the old saying, "Failing to Prepare is Preparing to Fail".

Using Technology

I love my gadgets, and in this day and age of mobile and tablet technology the wonderful world of apps means you can have theory revision on your smartphone or tablet. I'm an Android user so have hands on experience of a couple of useful apps. The two I have installed for theory/quizzes are Tae Kwon Do Theory (Daniel Gooch) and Tae Kwon Do Assistant (Patricoda) both apps are based on the TAGB curriculum and are free to download from Google Play. Tae Kwon Do Theory covers 10th Kup to 4th Dan where as the Tae Kwon Do Assistant covers 10th Kup to 1st Kup. I use both on my train commute to and from work. I've not been able to find any Windows Phone/Surface apps for theory but no doubt this will change as this platform gains popularity.

I don't have access to an iPhone or iPad so I'd like to thank the creator of the Uddingston TKD Apple iPhone App, John McManus, for the following information:
 "The main part of the app is a Quiz, built for iPhone, but I think it works on iPad albeit scaled up. The Quiz has a Database of around 250 Questions based on the TAGB Official Book and BlackBeltSchools Information.You can select a group of questions from a single Kup e.g Yellow Belt or a range of questions e.g. Yellow Belt to Green Belt. Questions are from 10th Kup to 1st Kup, the number of questions per Kup vary , but as a general rule there are more questions available for the Lower Grader e.g. 10 Kup has +30 in the database. Once you answer all the questions you are scored, then you can review your answers to see where you went wrong.

There is also a handy link to the syllabus to BlackBeltSchools theory pages, but you need to be connected to the internet to access these. [App] Can be found on the iTunes store by searching for TKDQuiz."
If anyone has any additional Apple apps they use which they've found useful please let me know but TAGB syllabus only please.

A useful app for pattern reference (and I mean reference, not for learning from) which is available on Android, Apple iPhone and iPad is "This is Tae Kwon Do Vol 1". Please note that this app isn't TAGB related, so again, reference only! The app is pretty big so I'd recommend you install it on a tablet device rather than a smartphone and download over WiFi rather than your 3G connection. The first few tuls are available free and for few pounds you can unlock the rest up to and including Choong Moo. Interface is useful as you can watch the whole tul, watch a single move and its a complete world environment, meaning you can view the movements from any angle, zoom in and out as you wish. I'll stress again this is reference use only and not a learning tool!

You can also use what my wife calls the "original eReader".... BOOKS! Remember those?? There are official TAGB training books which can be ordered from your instructor and also available is the "Students Handbook" which is an excellent source of study materials. I've also seen TAGB theory flashcards for sale on eBay.

Remember, a little study on theory often is a lot better than a mass cram just before a grading!

Practice, Practice, Practice!

So you've got the sheets, all the books and all the apps under the sun.. then you're all set! Nope! You've still got the practical line work and patterns to remember. The majority of this is done under the careful eye of your instructor so he or she can ensure you're doing this correctly. After that it's practice, practice, practice until your muscles know it better than your brain does. I practice at home, at work, not in sight of the CCTV cameras of course. I've even been know to run through all the patterns I know while changing backup tapes in the office server room. One last thing I do is a mental preparation by running through all the linework and patterns, this is handy when I don't have the room to physically practice them.

My instructor, Mr Chahal, always says I over-prepare and he's right; I do, and maybe no one else prepares like I do, but if you've ever struggled with either the theory or practical at a grading, maybe one of the ways I've mentioned above will give you some new ideas for revision so you'll feel more confident on the day :)

Update on Dalmellington Training

Michael McRoberts has passed on some information regarding Dalmellington sessions. As of this Wednesday (1st May 2013) training is back on in the Community Centre, class times are 4:30pm to 5:30pm.

Enjoy your sessions with Michael folks. Adult students bring your young ones and young students bring your adult! :)

Phoenix Taekwondo - Kilmarnock success at English Championships

Report from Scott McMillan on the excellent performance of Phoenix Kilmarnock at the English Championships at Coventry. Well done folks!

Phoenix Taekwondo Kilmarnock took 10 competitions to the recent English Championships, Skydome Arena in Coventry.

All of the competitions performed brilliantly, Performance of the day came from a first time sparring competitor Cailin Beggs who won both Individual and team events.

There was much to be pleased with as all of the competitors came back with a medal and good performances, especially with the World Championships only 3 months away.
And a farewell competition for Phoenix Taekwondo/TAGB Scotland Head instructor and Scottish coach Scott McMillan.

Kilmarnock Results
Gold Medallist:
Cailin Beggs – Girls green belt – PeeWee - Individual
Cailin Beggs – Girls green belt – PeeWee - Team
Breagh MacKellar – Girls Red belt – Lightweight – Team

Silver Medallist:
Hazel Bracken – Ladies Black belt – Heavyweight – Individual and team
James Reed – Men's Back belt – Middleweight - Individual
Scott McMillan – Men's Black belt- Heavyweight (Over 40’s) – Individual
Scot Wright – Boys blue Green belt - Middleweight – Team
Ty O’Donnell – Boys blue belt - Middleweight – Team
Paul Monahan – Men's green belt – Heavyweight – Team

Bronze Medallist:
Breagh MacKellar – Girls red belt – Lightweight - Individual
Scot Wright - Boys Green belt – Middleweight – Individual
Natalie McMillan – Cade Female – Middleweight - Individual
Nicole Rogerson – Girls Blue belt – Lightweight – Team

Prestwick Medal Marvels at English Open

Two students from Phoenix Prestwick braved a snowy journey to Coventry to compete in the recent TAGB English Open Championships.

Pictured with their instructor, 4th Dan Kuli Chahal, on the left, Mikey McDowall won a silver medal in the boys green belt pee wee category. On the right, Connor Mulgrew won gold medal English Champion in boys green belt lightweight category and a silver in the tag team.

Well done to both of you!

Pollok World Championships Fund Raising

In order to give as many students as possible a chance to compete at the World Championships in Coventry in July, Pollok club has been undertaking various fund raising events. First event was a sponsored run in Pollok Park, students and parents were involved in distances of two, four, six and eight miles. Everyone did brilliantly and the money raised will go towards competing students travel and accommodations.

Budding Warren Vices & Usain Bolts!

Hazel was smiling as she was dishing out
burpees at the finish

Is it over??

Puffed out but not down!

After the aforementioned burpees

Catch me if you can!

Well done group!

English Medal Haul for Pollok

Pollok Phoenix did really well at the English Championships in Coventry with a sizable medal haul. Instructor, Hazel Bracken, won silver medals in the ladies individual and team sparring. Chiara McIntyre took bronze in the girls individual and team sparring and Louise MacDonald also took bronze in the individual and team sparring. Special mention for Lucy McCann who won a bronze in the team sparring in her first ever competition! Well done Lucy!!

For the guys, Andrew MacDonald won bronze for the team sparring. Craig Dalziel finished just outside of the medals in sparring and patterns, always the next competition Craig! :)

Overall a good lot of medals, looking forward to seeing how you all do in the next competition :)

Sports Council for Glasgow

Thats Phoenix TaeKwonDo members of the Sports Council in Glasgow.....good news!
 
Scott will let you all know later what benefit will be to us as a club....enough to say he wouldn't have done it without any benefit. Good news!

New Club in Glasgow

Phoenix Taekwondo is spreading its wings.....we are increasing our (TAGB) Taekwondo in Glasgow. A new club under the guidance of James Reed has now opened in Rutherglen, opened Tuesday's and Friday's. James 3rd Degree Black belt, memebr of the Great Britain Team, World silver medalist, European Champion and multiple national champion. James brings years of teaching experience and a qualified personal trainer.

If you live in the Rutherglen area, why don't you go along and get one free class.

From Small Beginnings......

I've never blogged before but after chief instructor (Scott McMillan) of the Phoenix TaeKwonDo club I now train at asked me to do a monthly roundup of info for the club, I thought it might be an idea to share some of my own martial arts training history and get a feel for all this blogging business.

As this will be a personal journey from when I started with martial arts to where I am now its probably best if I do some background.... I've been involved with martial arts since 1980 when I started shukokai karate at a club in Prestwick under Sensei Jim Hepburn. I trained with this club two nights a week for 4 years, getting to green belt before youthful misadventure on bicycle cause me to have a compound fracture of my arm which ended my sparring career early. I also had to stop training for nearly 2 years while the arm healed and when I did go back for some reason my heart wasn't really in it. My last and only competition was in 1982, no sparring equipment used and I didnt win... but it was fun competing.

Skip forward a "few" years and I decided to start back at karate again, this time with a different club doing shotokai karate. Most of the movements and execution of blocks, kicks and punches were similar but the main zenkutsu dachi (front stance) was longer than I remember, and also very painful to stand it for any length of time. This was also a more traditional style of karate than what I was used to, there was more emphasis on form (which I like anyway) and application of katas in different attacks and defence. I again, achieved green belt with this style, I enjoyed my time with this club and if it wasnt for a change in working hours, I might still be there. I manage to picked up a back injury (too low stances I think) which means regular trips to physio to have it manipulated.... not much fun!

My wife, daughter and son were training at a Phoenix TaeKwonDo club in Prestwick while I was doing the karate. I'd been along to the club a few times to see the kids train and to grade and I got to know some of the students there. When I stopped karate, both my wife and a couple of guys at the club suggested I came and train with them... now... my first night I'll remember probably for as long as I live as I nearly killed myself trying to keep up (well I hadn't done any training in about 8 months!)... but next week I was back and the next and the next. 3 months later I was doing my first grading! Incidentally I still try and kill myself most training sessions but at least I now do it with a smile on my face :)

A year since starting with Phoenix I've achieve a green belt (does anyone see a pattern here???) but I dont intend to stop there! My instructor, Kulwant Chahal, makes the training interesting, fun and in the process hes become a good friend and the people in my own clubs at Ayr and Prestwick are great and its fun to train with them. Have to have a shout out to the other students and instructors from the other Phoenix clubs as well, great bunch of people and its always a pleasure to catch up with them at gradings and the occasional club night out.

OK... I think enough is enough on this, I've given Kuli enough to slag me off about for the next week or so.. next post should be on official club information I hope but I will have a sort of training dairy on sessions thrown in here now and then. Meantime please check out the Phoenix TaeKwonDo official website for more information about the club.

Charyot! Kyong Ye! Haessan...