Issue 20 - Professional Unification of Martial Arts

Issue 20
Autumn 2011
The magazine from the Professional Unification of Martial Arts
The 2011 Masters seminar;
Also inside: Bath/Loughborough University Fight Night; Black Belt gradings;
Winning Essays; World & British Championships 2011; Children’s Camp 2010;
Winter Camp 2010; The fabulous 10 th Anniversary P.U.M.A. ball and much,
much more!

I n this issue………
Bath v Loughborough University Fight Night………………………………….4
PLANET P.U.M.A.
Presentation Evening, May 2010………………………………..………………….7
Black Belt gradings, May 2011………….……………………………………………9
Junior Winning Essay - How I prepared for my Grading……………….10
Adult Winning Essay - How I prepared for my Grading………………..13
Kids Camp August 2010 ………………………………………………………………17
Winter Camp 2010………………………………………………………………………20
10th Anniversary P.U.M.A. ball……………………………………………………24
Bath & Northeast Somerset Sports Awards 2011…………………….….26
P.U.M.A. 1 st Open World Championships March 2011…………………28
English Championships ……………………………………………………………….34
People United Making a Difference (The Masters Seminar)…………37
My Journey through Taekwon-Do………………………………………………..42
Quiz Corner………………………………………………………………………………….45
Planet P.U.M.A. Pub quiz……………………………………………………………..46
The Search…………………………………………………………………………………..47
C
ontributors: Peter Hachfield; Pete Bullough; Master Ray Gayle; Harry Huish; Lucy Lynch;
Heather Romaine; Kali Elwood; Matthew Lloyd; John Dowding; Nicoli Krekis; Anonymous.
Many thanks to the proof-readers who generously gave up their time and did such a great
job.
Editors: Pete Bullough, Mandy Bullough & Matthew Lloyd; Art & Design: Matthew Lloyd
Opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author(s) and may not represent the views of
P.U.M.A. as a whole. © P.U.M.A. 2011
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PLANET P.U.M.A.
Welcome to another bumper issue of Planet P.U.M.A.
Since the last issue, we have had some changes in the editorial staff. Sandra Jeffrey has unfortunately needed to
step down, and we wish her all the best in her new enterprises.
In issue 20, we have write-ups from many of the excellent events that have been happening. Many of you will have
been on one of the Summer Camps or Winter Camp, and as we can see from the write-ups some serious training
went on! For the serious competitors we have the 1 st P.U.M.A. Open World Championships, the English Championships
and the University Fight Night; The P.U.M.A. competitors did us all proud, both with the quality of their
Taekwon-Do and the sporting way in which they competed. And who can forget the event of the year, The Masters
Seminar? Of course there has been time for some serious fun along the way as well. Children’s Camp saw some
deadly water pistol fights followed by Master G narrowly being defeated in the dance-off competition. For the
grown-ups, we had the excellent 10 th Anniversary Ball back in February, with everyone dressed to kill (!) It just
doesn’t get any better than this. The rest of the year promises to be equally fabulous. We have had our birthday
P.U.M.A. day, the Children’s Championships, and Winter Camp for the serious die-hards. Look out for the reports
for these events and much more in Issue 21.
P.U.M.A. members are well travelled and we would like to find the most exotic location visited by a P.U.M.A. teeshirt.
Send us photos as evidence of your visit!
Finally, Planet P.U.M.A. is the magazine for its members, and we do need people to contribute material. Anyone
can have a go, not just the Black Belts. Mr Bullough and I are usually at the Competitions and other events, so if
you are a budding journalist or just fancy writing about your special event, come and see us (we won’t bite, honest!).
Hope you enjoy the issue, and best wishes from us. Until next time,
Mandy, Pete and Matthew
Stop Press: The 11 th Anniversary P.U.M.A. ball is on Saturday 18 th February 2012. Tickets and further information
coming soon.
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PLANET P.U.M.A.

Bath v Loughborough University Fight Night
PLANET P.U.M.A.
By Peter Hachfield & Matthew D. Lloyd
Friday 7 th May 2010 saw the return of the University Kick-boxing challenge match between the University
of Loughborough and the University of Bath. This was the third match, with Loughborough narrowly carrying
the day on the two previous occasions. This time, Bath was on home turf at the Sports Training Village,
and the team was hungry for action.
The match went underway with more than 700 spectators, under the watchful eye of referee Rob Tettmar,
6 th Degree and the other officials. The audience was treated to 13 bouts, 8 men’s matches and 5 ladies.
They started with one round of two minutes each. The bouts were all extremely closely fought with
credit going to all the competitors for their spirit and dedication. The first session was concluded with an
extremely spirited and close fought ladies’ matches. This was followed by the interval during which the
audience was entertained with an exhibition of sparring by Mr. Rob Tettmar with one of his students. The
match then resumed with the first of seven matches, again each with one round of two minutes. The finale
featured a bout with two rounds of one-and-a-half minutes. Finally the evening was over, with Bath victorious
having won 8 of the 13 bouts.
As well as a highly entertaining evening, the event successfully raised money for the Charity ‘Help for
Heroes’, which supports British service men and women wounded in action.
The University of Bath Kick-Boxers. Congratulations to all competitors.
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PLANET P.U.M.A.
Bout Bath fighter Loughborough fighter Winner
1 Robert Dinsey - 80Kg Nathan Oliver-Taylor - 82 kg Bath
2 Peter Hachfield - 65 kg Guy Crouch - 65 kg Bath
3 Sarah Goring - 56 kg Claire Kirkwood - 56 kg Loughborough
4 Jesse Page - 72 kg Oli Fletcher - 76 kg Loughborough
5 Ahmed Sulieman - 70 kg Stefan Von-Pfefer - 76 kg Bath
6 Julia Reed - 57 Kg Zoe Duck - 56 kg Bath
Interval
7 Dan Culling - 72 kg Tom San-Juan - 73 kg Loughborough
8 Jasmin Staples - 67 kg Franzi Rother - 67 kg Bath
9 Anthony Shum - 64 kg James Tay - 68 kg Loughborough
10 Anna Ross - 65 kg Lauren Westwood - 59 kg Bath
11 Freddie Glebocki - 70 kg Leigh Schvartz - 67 kg Loughborough
12 Amy Bradburn - 57 kg Dani Harker - 47 kg Bath
13 Vito Tomasi - 73 kg Mike Szumski - 79 kg Bath
The fighters and officials in the University of Bath sports training village.
6

Presentation Evening 22 nd May 2010
By Pete Bullough
PLANET P.U.M.A.
Once again we returned to the popular venue of the Oasis Sports Centre in Swindon, for the Black Belt
Presentation Evening. With everyone seated Master Ogborne and Master Gayle welcomed the guests.
Special introductions were made for Mr Ian Ferguson 6 th Degree, and Mr Mike Witt 2 nd Degree, who is
Patron of the Pilgrim Bandits Charity which supports members of the armed forces wounded in action.
We started the evening with a demonstration from Mrs Tania Spreadbury, Miss Sue Raven, and Miss Karen
Dowse, performing the 2 nd Degree pattern Choong-Jang to much applause. Master Ogborne then narrated
a slideshow explaining how hard it is to achieve a Black Belt, talking about the pain we put our bodies
through as well as the ups and downs in our weekly training routines. It was very quiet as we all took
this in and remembered our own experiences.
The presentation of certificates then started with those for new instructors and assistant instructors, followed
by our new Black belts. After a short break we started again. Master Gayle then made a special announcement
calling Mr Ferguson up to the stage and awarding him with his 7 th Degree, making him a
Master. Mr Ferguson was speechless and thanked P.U.M.A. and our Masters for the honour bestowed
upon him.
After Master Ferguson left the stage we had more demonstrations, this time from Mr Tettmar and Mr
Dowding. They started with freestyle one step sparring, showing a wide range of effective techniques! Mr
Dowding then demonstrated a breaking technique, using turning kick against 2 inches of wood. This was
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PLANET P.U.M.A.
followed by Mr Tettmar demonstrating the 5 th Degree
pattern, Se-Jong.
The awards then continued for 2 nd Degree Black
Belts and above, to the last Degree grade award:
Mr Tettmar, P.U.M.A.s’ newest 6 th Degree, followed
by the grading awards. We had one last special
award going to Jamie White, who received
P.U.M.A.s’ special supporters award.
Ms Hayward (now Dr Hayward), best colour belt
female student from the October 2009 grading,
presented with her award during the evening.
Mr Tettmar, 6 th Degree
Mrs Spreadbury, winner of the heart and soul award
Master Black and Master Gayle looking forward to
a great evening!
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B
lack Belt Presentation evening 2 nd June 2011
B
y Master Gayle
Colour belts
Samuel Verses
Hugo Malign Clegg
Hayden Minhinick
Ross Meilia
Jack Smerdon
Ashleigh Tungate
Sophie Lyon
Jacob Randall
Hayden Evans
James Gillings
Patrick Ravenhall
Kieran Grubb
Adam Green
Sophie Chisholm
Harry Padfield
Jade Bassett
Penny Steell
Becky Salt
Lucy Lynch
Stewart Adams
Clio Yates
Marcus Handford
James Culliford
Neil Warburton
Jamie Byrne
Kian Sabet
Emma Wills
Matthew Holloway
Steve Handford
Steve Brown
Adam Aird
Katie Ware
Mark Quick
Credit
Credit
Credit
Credit
Credit
Credit
Credit
Credit
Credit
Richard Holden
Martin Hanney
Adam Barber
Michael Rose
Ellis Reed
Mark Timms
Morgan Stevens
Luke Wilson
James Harvey
Mark Payne
Lindsay Webb
Neil Clennell
Rory Burford
Sue Raven
Rita Tucker
Sandra Aldridge
Edward Colman-Roberts
Black belts
James Andrews
Chris Norman
Mark Richardson
Aaron Avey
Fen Trudgian
Dale Hubbuck
Merwyn Davis
Adam Hughes
Ryan Johns
Hayden Johns
Harry Huish
Luke Holloway
Awards
Best female spirit
Best male spirit
Best junior spirit
Best lady coloured belt
Best black belt
Best junior coloured belt
Best male coloured belt
Heart and Soul
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PLANET P.U.M.A.
Distinction
Credit
Credit
Credit
Credit
Credit
Credit
Credit
Credit
Credit
Distinction
Clio Yates
Martin Hanney
Becky Salt
Sue Raven
Luke Holloway
Ellis Reed
Neil Warburton
James Andrews

Junior Winning Essay (May 2011 grading):
How I prepared for my grading
PLANET P.U.M.A.
I started Taekwon-Do when I
was nine years old, in November
2003. At that time, I had recently
watched the film The Matrix
and was inspired by Keanu
Reeves’ character of Neo and
the martial arts sequences that
he performed. I soon asked my
Mum if she could find out if I
could learn more about the
moves I had witnessed in the
film.
My Mum phoned around and
spoke to Mr Thornton at North
Bristol Taekwon-Do School at
Yate Leisure Centre, which was
the closest Taekwon-Do School
to where I lived and I went along
for a lesson to find out all about it.
I went for my first class and found I loved it as much as the film. I enjoyed learning the kicks, punches and
line work, as well as being part of a fun, vibrant, friendly School. After getting my 1 st Dobok I felt I was well
on the way towards being the next Keanu Reeves.
Over the past eight years I have found that Taekwon-Do has become a natural way of life for me. By regularly
attending classes, tournaments, courses, etc. it has benefited me enormously in so many ways including
my general health and fitness levels. It has also improved my flexibility, speed, strength, endurance,
concentration, self-esteem and self-confidence. The skills I have developed have also benefited my life
outside the do-jang from school sports to even performing on stage.
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PLANET P.U.M.A.
It is good for people to have an appropriate goal in life and to therefore continually strive to reach this. I
have found that by working through the Kup grades and now the Degree grades that by setting myself
small goals to work towards, I have always managed to pass the gradings with a high level of success. My
2 nd Degree is now my next grading and I have set myself several new goals to strive towards. Mainly to
improve my flexibility to gain height in my kicks as well as to always have my reaction hand in the appropriate
place.
North Bristol School is skilfully led by Mr Richard Thornton who has a very individual style of teaching
that really enables him to get the best out of his students. He makes training fun and interesting and
makes up funny little jokes to help students remember moves, tricky Korean words, or stances. He is very
well supported by a group of assistant coaches who have also been so helpful to me and taken time and
trouble to comment and feedback on my patterns or sparring.
I am very lucky to have such a good support team around me. Not just Mr Thornton and the assistant
coaches, but also my parents and my peers. They have all given me such a lot of support and encouragement
throughout my years of training; continually challenging and motivating me. During the lead up to
my 2 nd Degree the other Black Belts in the club have given me help outside of lessons with my set sparring
and Korean.
When I successfully passed my first Degree grade and moved up into the adult classes my Mum decided
to take up Taekwon-Do as well. I have really enjoyed teaching and supporting her as she has gradually
improved her technique. I have found that through regularly teaching her it has improved my knowledge
of the patterns, as well as my attention to detail during my moves.
I am very fortunate that the School is such a special and unique School to train at. There is such a strong
sense of camaraderie throughout the whole School. All ages and all levels are so encouraging and supportive
of one another. There is a lovely, friendly family atmosphere and everyone is so supportive of
each other.
At the recent Black Belt Open World Championships, so many people from the School came to watch and
support those of us competing. It was so good to hear shouts of encouragement from my peers whilst
sparring.
I have learned a lot from following the five Tenets of Taekwon-Do. These are indomitable spirit, courtesy,
perseverance, integrity, and self-control. For my second Degree I have tried to develop these tenets and
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think that I do my best at everything that I do.
PLANET P.U.M.A.
At the recent Black Belt Open World Championships I was entered in the Cadet Feather-weight category
for sparring. It turned out that I was the only entry in that category. I was offered the option of just taking
the Gold medal and not fighting or being put up a level to the Fly category and fighting with much heavier
opponents. After briefly considering the options I chose to compete in Fly and fought against other competitors,
who were much heavier and taller than I am. I managed to compete in two rounds before being
knocked out in the third round. It was a challenging experience, but I feel this demonstrates my indomitable
spirit as I competed when the odds were against me. I was proud of my efforts and the support from
my School mates was excellent. I was very pleased to have won a bronze medal in the Fly category.
In addition to my School, I regularly attend Squad training, first with Mr Bradshaw and now with Mr Lammin.
I enjoy squad training as it gives me the opportunity to meet up with other Taekwon-Do members
and I appreciate a different aspect of training to my usual routine at the School. Through Squad, my skill
as a fighter has vastly improved, from kicking combinations, to the constant reminder of keeping a guard
up.
I am the only person in my year at school that does Taekwon-Do and I enjoy sharing my knowledge and
skills with my class mates. I particularly enjoy jang-bong (bo-staff) and I was invited to demonstrate a
pattern in house assembly, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
I have taught some of the girls in my class some basic self-defence techniques so that if they are ever in a
scary situation then they have some idea of what to do.
I am currently in the middle of my GCSE’s. I am working hard revising for all my subjects and life is a bit
stressful at the moment! I have found that attending my Taekwon-Do classes has been a welcome distraction
from all the work, and has given me something to focus on and think about apart from school
work, for which I am very grateful.
As I have said previously, Taekwon-Do is a way of life for me and has infiltrated many areas of my life and
contributes a lot to the person that I am. Starting Taekwon-Do was one of the best choices that I have ever
made and I am so pleased that I made that choice.
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PLANET P.U.M.A.
Adult Winning Essay (May 2011 grading):
How I have prepared for my black belt grading
By Lucy Lynch, Crediton Taekwon-Do
I used to bring our daughter to Little
P.U.M.A.’s, while I was pregnant with
our third child. I had already decided
then, that I was going to start
Taekwon-Do, once I had the baby and
was able to. He was born in June
2005. Our daughter was getting ready
to move to juniors from Little
P.U.M.A.’s. Therefore, I thought this
would be a good time to start.
This started one evening back in January
2006. The very first time I turned
up and trained in the Do-Jang for my
Taekwon-Do lesson with my instructor
Dave Powlesland and fellow students.
Little did I know that was my first step
towards my Black Belt. The foundations
of Taekwon-Do were being laid
and I did not even realize it. As I lined
up at the back of the Do-Jang with my
two left feet that went in any direction
except where they should have,
my hands seemed to have a mind of their own too. Could not get to grips with the Korean words and
numbers. I huffed and puffed my way through my first lesson and the Taekwon-Do bug had struck, I was
hooked. All the senior grades up in front made every move look so easy. Wow, it was time for my very
first frightening grading from 10 th Kup to 9 th Kup. I have never been so petrified in all my life. My grading
examiner was Master Ogborne. I had passed with a credit. I was over the moon. Receiving my yellow
stripe was a very proud moment.
After a few months, it was time for my second grading going from 9 th Kup to 8 th Kup, this time I knew
what I was letting myself in for, not that it made it any easier. My grading examiner was Master Black. I
still remember it was a very hot summer day and I was about to spend my
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PLANET P.U.M.A.
morning in a sports hall grading. What a fantastic grading, I passed with distinction. It was absolutely fantastic
receiving my yellow belt. In October 2006 my partner started Taekwon-Do, it is nice going out as a
family to train. This was great as I now had a partner to practice my three step sparring on. We would try
to train at home in our front room. As I got more confident with Taekwon-Do, and whilst at the park with
my children or at work on the track, I would practice my patterns. I started a part time job in 2009 in a
residential home as a night-carer. I practice my patterns and Taekwon-Do in the lounge at night, while it
is quiet. I scared my colleague one night as she came around the corner, there I was doing a flying sidekick
straight towards her.
So slowly over the next few years, I progressed through my grading’s and worked my way up. I have
been to a few competitions mostly as a spectator, whilst my daughter participated. I have only ever entered
one competition, that was the Southern. I only went in for patterns and I came away with a bronze
trophy. It was a long day but well worth it. I watched and cheered all the others from our training school.
We had done fantastically well. My daughter came away with a bronze trophy too, for sparring. While I
was a red stripe my partner was taken into hospital for an operation, Me and the kids still trained, even
though our training was a bit limited, as I wanted us to have as much consistency and normality as possible.
I received great support from Dave Powlesland and Sarah (sugar) Powlesland. Then to my surprise
on 15 th February 2009, Sir (Dave Powlesland) gave me an envelope at the end of our Taekwon-Do lesson
in front of everybody. My partner had arranged very secretly behind my back a marriage proposal. I was
shocked! (by the way, I said yes). We got married in October 2009. I graded for my red belt in April 2009
and I was asked by Sir (Dave Powlesland) if I would consider helping out in Little P.U.M.A.’s as Sarah
(sugar) Powlesland was off to University in September 2009. I was absolutely honoured and delighted to
have been asked, and to help. So on our way home from our honeymoon, I stopped off at Bovington and
did my Little PUMA’s instructors course, got my CRB check done, and did the child protection and First
Aid courses. I also did my Assistant Instructors course and passed with credit. I help to teach in Little
P.U.M.A.’s, and also help with gradings for Little PUMA’s. I do a small amount of admin in Little
P.U.M.A.’s and Taekwon-Do, as well as supporting Sir in adult and junior lessons and occasionally at gradings.
I went for my black stripe grading 2010 in Exeter and passed.
Last year I started to get very bad pain in my hip and lower back. After a long time going back and forth
to the doctors, they sent me off to physio. After my examination, I was informed my sciatic joint in my
back was out of alignment, and I had a ridge in my hip joint. My physiotherapist also informed me that I
had to pack Taekwon-Do in, so she could repair my joints as my core muscles had become very weak. I
was absolutely distraught and adamant that I was not going to pack Taekwon-Do in but not sure how I
was going to train and had a very tearful and long conversation with Sir (Dave Powlesland) (thank you
sir).
We talked about different ways I could do my kicks and how to minimize the impact on my hip
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PLANET P.U.M.A.
and back. Wow, I felt so much better after our conversation and more positive. My sciatic joint is now in
alignment, but my hip is still out. I was given a hip support for my day-to-day activities, which also helps
with my kicks in Taekwon-Do and some core muscle exercises. Because I would not give up Taekwon-Do
my physiotherapist has refused to see me anymore, but she has left it open until end of May if I change
my mind and stop Taekwon-Do. Which will not be happening for a long time! I am not going to give up
now I have got this far. I find the exercises we do in Taekwon-Do help, I have good days and bad days
with my hip. I have had quite a struggle to get lower in my L-stance since my hip has been playing up. I
compromised by going into fixed stance so I have had to re-train myself with the help of Sir (Dave
Powlesland).
Then this year, 2011, I went for my black belt pre-grading with a very open mind, took the whole experience
wanting positive feedback, as I had nothing to lose. 15/20 ish minutes seemed a very long time and I
passed. Boy did I pay with pain in my hip, but it was definitely worth it. I did find going for my pre-grading
a very emotional and humbling experience, especially when leaving the dojang and returning to the hall
where we practiced in, everybody was clapping and cheering us. This experience will stay with me forever.
Doing my self-appraisal form was very hard for me to fill in, as I am not very good at self-credit, but it got
me thinking of my good and bad points and was a very good learning curve.
Attendance: Has been very good. I train 4 times a week and help out in Little PUMA’s 3 times a week. I
have started to train an extra 2 hours a week to help prepare me for my grading. I would like to train
more but with working nights and my family commitments, I am unable to.
Technical ability: Since I have been doing a bit of teaching for Sir my technical ability has come on. I am
always learning new ways every day off everybody. I have been reading up and asking my fellow students
for their advice on different ways to improve.
Use of power: My power has started to get stronger every time I train, been trying to improve my stances,
timing and sine wave which all helps. I have a couple of focus pads at home. My husband and I have
been practicing different punches, strikes and kicking combinations, to try and improve techniques and
my power.
Knowledge in Patterns: As with most things in life, you are always learning in the University of Life. I have
been going over my pattern meanings and looking into the alternative meanings to our patterns. Along
with practicing all my patterns and techniques I have been learning how many moves are in each pattern
too.
Free sparring: I can spar, but I do find sparring a challenge. This side of Taekwon-Do is not my strong
point and I have had to work hard to get where I am today. I have never been an aggressive person or
even had a fight, or hit anyone when I was at school. Therefore, when I started sparring for the first time
in lessons, this was all very new and strange and I had to work very hard to get over my placid side.
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PLANET P.U.M.A.
Self-control regarding free sparring: I have good control in free sparring I never lose my temper and am
always under control. I can control all my moves but occasionally I do lose my
footing. This is something that I am continuing to work on.
Set sparring: I really enjoy set sparring, as there is a lot more control until you get to one-step. With onestep,
I have found it a challenge and most enjoyable trying to learn and try out different techniques and
moves, seeing what does and does not work. I have learned new moves every time I train with someone
different.
Kicks: Kicks have been the most challenging for me since I have had a bad hip and back. With the help of
Mr. P, I learned to kick again with minimal pain and I am improving all the time. I have had to practice
hard at home and work with my kicking positions and feet techniques.
Self-defense: Self-defense is an important part to learn and with the help of my husband who does help
me a lot by being more stubborn with his grips and holds which has helped.
Theory: I have been looking, reading my handbook, and looking on the net for alternative pattern meanings.
I have also been listening to the Taekwon-Do theory CD, asking my fellow students for their advice
and my instructor.
Fitness: This side of Taekwon-Do has been very interesting for me. It is one side I have had to try and increase
but at the same time being careful not to injure my hip anymore, so I push myself a little bit more
each day. I go swimming once a week and do 40 lengths of the main pool; I started at 10 so increased
slowly each week. After my swim while still in the pool I do one or two of my patterns and some kicks in
the water. I found the force of the water makes me work harder with each move or technique I have to
do. This has given me the support for doing my kicks without any impact on my hip.
With the support of Sir (Dave Powlesland) and two other mums, we have gathered prizes and sold raffle
tickets for our Easter raffle, and I am organizing a colouring competition for Little P.U.M.A.’s. All money
raised is in aid of the three charities that P.U.M.A. are currently supporting.
Now I have written my essay, as part of my black belt grading, which has been challenging in itself. I decided
from the very beginning to do my essay on How I have prepared for my black belt grading I feel
this is where I started to prepare for my grading, back when I was a white belt up until now as a 1 st Kup,
and every stage has been challenging, exciting, grueling, eventful and some even tearful. Everybody will
have had a different experience and interpret the title in a completely different way, which makes us all
unique. Wow what a journey I have had since my first lesson back in January 2006, with every step of the
way preparing me for my black belt grading. If you had asked me back then if I ever thought I would be a
black belt I would have laughed and said ‘Don’t be silly I will never get there‘. Now look at me, I am
attempting my black belt grading on 7 th May 2011.
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17
K
ids
PLANET P.U.M.A.
ids Camp Sparkford
W eekend of 13 th
2010
B y Pete Bullough
August
Once again we return to the hugely popular site of Sparkford Cricket ground for our kids Camp. Most of
our helpers arrive by dinner time on the Friday, followed by the others once they finish work. The children
arrive from 3.30 p.m. onwards and we all help them to set up their tents with their parents. Team
leaders were chosen: Mr Walker, Mr Spreadbury, Miss Elise, Mr Bedborough, Mrs Spreadbury and Mrs
Walker.
We all get settled in for the evening with the help from all the children collecting wood ready for the
camp fire, taken care of by Master Ogborne. This always turns out to be a fun evening, with Mrs Walker
taking the lead in a good old fashioned sing-along, followed by some storytelling by the children, some
very nearly scary.
After last years’ introduction of fireworks, Master Gayle asked me to get some more for this year. Once
again under the watchful eyes of our on-site Health and Safety rep Mr Chance and Child Protection
Officer Miss Reeve we all thoroughly enjoyed a colourful display. We also tried something different this
year. Each team wrote a message on candle hot air balloons and sent them up and watched them disappear
into the night. That took us to the end of our first evening, then it was teeth cleaning and time for
bed.
Saturday
It was a very early start to the day
with most children awake and talking
from 6 a.m. Miss Price, Miss
Chipperfield, & Mrs Mortimer were
all up early to prepare breakfast for
everyone. This was followed by a
quiz under the Marquee due to the
on and off rain that morning.
It was just after midday that we set
off to the sports centre for the
swimming pool. The children all
had lots of fun, but I think our helpers
had more fun with their display
of somersaults and back flips and
bombs at the deep end of the pool
(who are the kids?) and a few flying
side-kicks from Mr Tettmar and Mr Swain (pictured). It was all over so soon and we were back on the
coach and on the way back to camp.

PLANET P.U.M.A.
There was just time for a light snack and then
more play time. Since we were at the cricket
ground of the team that Master Ogborne
plays for, he took the bat and the games
started with children fielding and trying to
catch him out. This went on for most of the
afternoon until all the children and helpers
were well and truly bushed.
Late afternoon tent inspections were carried
out by Sergeants Gayle and Ogborne under
the watchful eye of newly promoted Brigadier
Black. This was a tough job with 3 rd place
going to Christopher Chick from Alphabet
Soup, 2 nd place going to Dwain from Biddulf Scorpions, and 1 st place going to Seally Russell from Team
Rock.
Awards were then given for today’s best girl on camp from team Alphabet Soup, Holly Perris from Tiverton.
The best boy was Kieran Scott from South Normanton. In the early evening there was time for a
movie in the Marque. It was all quiet for the next 90 minutes, as the children all watched Kung Fu Panda.
All the children were nicely calmed down for the evening, so it was teeth cleaning and time for bed. All
helpers were really tired and needed a good rest ready for the morning.
Sunday
All our helpers are up bright and early ready for
the children again. Most of them have been
awake from 6.30 a.m. again; it’s a bright morning
and the weather is dry after breakfast. We
take advantage of the nice day with more play
time. Of course we the helpers can never enjoy
play time too much !!! Once finished its time to
take on some drinks and put our suits on ready
for some Taekwon-Do training. Just as we were
in full swing a local farmer was kind enough to
bring one of his horses to show the children.
We were all allowed to stroke the horse and
feed him apples. We then went into the Do-
Jang where the Masters put us through our paces.
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PLANET P.U.M.A.
Training done and it is time for lunch.
For most of us the highlight of the year
was the big water fight. Most of the
helpers were having a well-earned rest
when it started. The usual faces suddenly
appeared with some very large water
pistols, mostly the helpers. Well we are
outnumbered by about 10 to one! This
year was as good as every year, with no
retreat and no surrender. At the end we
had some very exhausted helpers and
once again only one winner - yes the
children. We then all got dried off ready
for the show we were putting on for the parents’ arrival. The shows go down well; if you want to know
what they are let your kids go to Camp so you can see them when you pick them up. We had the Judge
and Jury out for Master Ogborne
who was charged with bullying, and
Mr Spoors for other crimes committed
on Camp. They both received
the same sentence, and were
drenched by some helpers.
There were also awards given out to
the children. The best girl student of
the day was Kiera Pritchard, and the
best boy Christopher Chick. The
awards for the best Junior boy and
girl on camp went to Alfie Ogborne
and Aisha Gayle, whilst the awards
for the best boy and girl on camp
went to Adam Scer and Holly Perris. We had the return of the dance off with Master Gayle and Joe, and
this year Joe just won! Unlucky Master G, you will have to try and regain your title next year. So ended
another year at Kids Camp, and all
the children were safely picked up by
their parents. It’s a bit of chill time
for the helpers, it took me 3 days to
recover as it did last year. I thought it
was my age but speaking to the
younger helpers in the group they
were all the same. This is one event
that we do, that is not to be missed
by the children. So go on kids, speak
to your Mums and Dads and get it
booked for this year. I look forward
to seeing you there.
19

W
inter Camp October
2010
B
y Pete Bullough
house in the evening.
PLANET P.U.M.A.
Once again we returned to the very popular venue at Warmwell for our annual Winter
Camp. Most of us arrived from 4.30 p.m. onwards on the Friday night to get checked in
and settled ready for the quick meeting and welcome from our Masters at the club
Saturday 23 rd October
For the past 2 years I, as well as all the other die hard students, were pleased to see a dry morning when
we got up for training. A quick jog down to the tennis courts for training with Master
20

PLANET P.U.M.A.
Gayle saw a very cheerful group of keen people
eager for knowledge. Master Gayle had missed last
year due to other Taekwon-Do commitments so he
took the lead for training this year.
The line-up is always impressive at the Camps with
lots of high grades in the first two rows. As well as
Master Ogborne we had Mr Tettmar 6 th Degree
and Mr Lammin 5 th Degree in the front row, with
lots of 4 th Degrees and various other grades. This is
always a fun camp, and Master Gayle’s warm-up as always was very intense. He wasted no time in going
straight into a technical training session. Our morning training session finished very quickly or so it
seemed. It was not until we had got back to the chalet and looked at the time that we realized it was a
two hour training session. Breakfast followed and then rest and recreation time. Some people used the
dry ski slopes on site or there are a number of fishing lakes for the very keen.
The afternoon comes and we are back on the tennis courts for another session. Master Gayle once again
put us through our paces with more attention this time to freestyle one-step sparring. This year we were
very fortunate with the weather, the sun was shining with no sign of any rain. Training seemed to finish
again very quickly, two hours passes fast when you are trying to absorb so much information.
21

The facilities on site are very good with a restaurant
and bar area and play areas for children. We
also had a few fireworks to brighten the early
evening. For the older students like myself, four
hours of training in one day had only one result
and that was nice relaxation in front of the TV and
an early night.
PLANET P.U.M.A.
Sunday 24 th October
We all wake up early on Sunday morning for the first training session of the day. Winter camp has become
known over the years for being cold and wet. This morning the sun is shining again. A few late stragglers
arrive; it looks like quite a few people had late nights, they know who they are.
Again Master Gayle took a very technical session on patterns covering all areas with Master Ogborne assisting.
We were keen to gain more knowledge and instruction with lots of coloured belts and some kickboxers
in the group. The morning session went well with time given to every grade. At the end of the session
Master Gayle asked us to spend a few minutes thinking about our other students and the connection
with our friends in Ghana. Master Gayle had not long returned from there.
A well-earned fried breakfast was waiting for me on my return to the chalet, I always feel that the long
weekend goes far too quickly. We spend, as others do, time relaxing and socializing in our group and look
forward to more training.
The last session of the weekend comes. I have to admit being one of the oldest students there, and I
would be lying if I said I was not fatigued. Again Master Gayle took the lead in some more technical training.
Sensing we were all tired, a more low key but informative training session was delivered. In the latter
part of the session Mr Chance gave a few pointers on F.A.S.T. defense, and a few people
22

PLANET P.U.M.A.
got the chance to put the bullet man suit on. Even more students were keen to hit the bullet man suit
with various people trying to find out how little impact you feel when hit.
Training with the Masters goes very fast and it is nice to catch up with all of our friends at this fun event
held here every year. If you have not made winter camp yet, you must try it. It is a fantastic venue, with
great people, the best instruction and most of all it is doing what we all love to do.
I thought it was just me but it did take me three days to recover, although a lot of students said it was
just because I am getting old. And Master Black we missed you this year, it isn’t the same without you.
See you all this October. Taekwon.
23

T he 10 th Anniversary P.U.M.A.
Ball
B y Heather Romaine
PLANET P.U.M.A.
The night was dark, the temperature cold and the rain just holding off (what do you expect holding an
event in February!), yet the atmosphere was buzzing and the people all smiling. We were all heading to
the 10 th anniversary P.U.M.A. charity ball and nothing was going to dampen our enthusiasm, which was
palatable on the bus from the hotel where Michelle had got us all a very good deal on the rooms!!
The evening started in great style, with
a red carpet laid out by Somerset Cricket
Club to welcome us to the club
house, and a photographer on hand to
take your picture as you came in the
door – all to make us feel like stars,
which everyone within P.U.M.A. is always
made to feel. Then it was onwards
to the bar and to greet old
friends and new, and to admire how
smart everyone looked out of doboks… it’s amazing how smart martial artists can be! The evening’s entertainments
began with a demonstration of Thai dancing. Everyone was extremely impressed!!!!
Following a delicious three course meal dinner was the main event, the charity auction, in order to raise
money for three very worthy charities – Pilgrim Bandits, Friends of Valance School and
24

PLANET P.U.M.A.
the Ghana Fund Appeal. Amongst the
items on offer was ‘A night with the Masters’,
where bids were taken to have Master
Gayle, Master Ogborne, Master Black
and Mr Tettmar do whatever you wanted!!
There were also more prosaic offerings
of a flat screen television, a tool kit,
and driving lessons. All contributed to
making a lot of money for some very good
causes.
The night was rounded off nicely with a disco playing all the cheesiest hits you could hope for, and with
Taekwon-Do specialists showing exactly how all that training enables them to boogie on the dance floor!
All in all it was a hugely successful night, with big congratulations going to the girls organising it. This was
easily as hard as the boy’s little cycle ride! I’m certainly already planning my outfit for next year!! Tickets
for the Saturday 18 th February 2012 event coming soon. Book early, as it will be an event not be missed!
25

The Bath & Northeast Somerset Sports Awards 2011
By Kali Elwood and Matthew D. Lloyd
PLANET P.U.M.A.
Tuesday 8 th March 2011 saw the annual Bath & Northeast Somerset Sports Awards presentation at the
Guildhall in the centre of Bath. As always the awards were about recognising the achievements of the
athletes, coaches and others involved in sports in the region, from a grass-roots level to elite sports. The
Guildhall in Bath provided a magnificent venue for the event, with about 200 people attending the evening.
As always there were a number of awards to be given that evening. Before that happened, the audience
was treated to a demonstration by Bath Taekwon-Do, with two members of the team nominated for
awards. The demo of six was led by Mr Tettmar, 6 th Degree and started with a warm up and line-work.
Following this, Mr Tettmar and part of the team put on an impressive synchronised display of the green
stripe pattern, Do-San. The audience was then treated to a demonstration of pattern Choong-Jang by
World Champion Miss Natalie McColl. For the finale, a demonstration of one-for-one sparring was given
– it was the longest 30 seconds of the year!!! To loud applause, the demonstration team bowed out and
the main event began.
The demo team. Charyot, Kung-Ye
Some of the team going through their paces.
One of the first awards to be given that night was the Volunteer in Sport. It was an immense
pleasure that Lorna Buechner-Brown from Bath Taekwon-Do was nominated,
and given the award. Those of us who know Lorna, know that she is very dedicated to
helping teach the junior class, and has made tremendous strides in her own Taekwon-
Do. Throughout the night lots of gifted athletes were honoured with awards, as were
the coaches, sports teachers and helpers. Miss McColl was nominated in the category of
Young Achiever in Sport (under 19); unfortunately she did not win this time, but she
26

PLANET P.U.M.A.
Natalie McColl receiving her nomination certificate.
is a terrific ambassador for Taekwon-Do. This was followed by awards for Sports Persons; Sports Persons
With a Disability; Sports Coach; Sports Teacher; Youth Sports Leader; Healthy Lifestyles Achievement;
Sports Club; and the Aquaterra Achievement Award. The audience was also treated to a display of contemporary
dance, by a number of young performers from the Creative Moves group. Finally the evening
was over and it was time to go home.
Thanks to B&NES council for holding the awards, and especially Martin Pellow and his team, for organising
the evening and running it so smoothly; The Bath Taekwon-Do demo team for doing us proud: Rob
Tettmar 6 th Degree; Matthew Lloyd, 4 th Degree; Natalie McColl, 2 nd Degree; Regina Buechner-Brown, 1 st
Kup; and junior students; And special thanks to Kali Elwood for agreeing to be a guest author and providing
photographs of the event.
27

P.U.M.A. 1 st OPEN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
By John Dowding
PLANET P.U.M.A.
The Professional Unification of Martial Arts (P.U.M.A.)
hosted their first world open Taekwon-Do tournament
over the weekend of March 19 th and 20 th 2011. Early on
a glorious spring morning competitors started to arrive at
the venue, the Oasis Sports & Leisure Centre in Swindon,
Wiltshire, England. This was the first Open World event
organised by P.U.M.A. and there was a great deal of excitement
and anticipation leading up to the event which
was open to Black Belt competitors from all Ch’ang-Hon
stylists of Taekwon-Do.
Master Gayle and Master Ogborne are committed to
breaking down the barriers between Taekwon-Do
groups so that we can all share and grow together albeit
in different directions and so it was important for
them that the event was open to all Ch’ang-Hon stylists
and to encourage this the tournament featured categories
for sine wave and non-sine wave patterns performers.
Something which really gave the event a unique
feel and made it truly an “open” event.
The event kicked off early on the Saturday with a display from a local gymnastics group and, although it
may not have been what was expected at a martial arts tournament, it was truly breath-taking to see the
amazing strength and control displayed by the young performers, many of whom looked like a strong
wind would blow them away. The control, flexibility
and core strength of these young people really was
the envy of many a Black Belt watching. This was
followed by a demonstration by the P.U.M.A. Flowering
Youth Team, a team of youngsters who are
specially coached by Master Gayle with the aim of
embodying the true spirit of Taekwon-Do and its
Tenets. The age of the Flowering Youth is between
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PLANET P.U.M.A.
9 to 15 years of age. From the moment they took to
the floor their concentration and maturity was obvious
to all. The demonstration was flawless and was a huge
credit to every single member of the team with fantastic
displays of patterns and self-defence routines that
would rival some of the established adult demonstration
teams out there.
After the colourful display there was a short introductory
speech from Master Gayle to welcome competitors,
coaches and spectators to the event. During this opening speech Master Gayle passed on the sad
news that some competitors from Norway had been
involved in a fatal accident on the way to the tournament
and called for a minute’s silence as a mark of
respect. The hall fell silent as everyone bowed their
heads in respect at the very sad news and if a pin
had fallen it would have been heard clearly with all
showing a deep respect and sorrow at the loss.
After this brief moment of sadness the tournament
got underway. Saturday was a day mainly for junior
and cadet competitors to show their skills and the
competition got off to a great start with some strong
patterns performances which showed a maturity far
beyond the years of some of the performers. Then onto
the sparring and again some fantastic displays from
some very talented juniors who will be a force to be
reckoned with in the coming years. The skill levels displayed
were breath-taking and I’m sure a few of the
youngsters are going to be household names in the
martial arts world in the future. The adults finally got a
look in later in the day with individual patterns up to
5 th Degree being fiercely contested between the men’s and ladies divisions and competitors giving the
juniors a run for their money and setting the standard for the coming events on the Sunday.
The day closed with the Junior Team events comprising of sparring and patterns, and the crowd and officials
were treated to some fine displays with a huge amount of respect and etiquette being shown. As
29

various associations present and some fierce competition
that retained the sportsmanship and camaraderie that sadly
can sometimes be missing from events where titles are at
stake. The first day of competition came to an end with
many tired and happy competitors heading off for some
well earned rest and anticipating the senior competition the
next day.
PLANET P.U.M.A.
Sunday saw the action from the veterans begin with individual
patterns and saw some fantastic performances.
Throughout the Saturday and Sunday it was fascinating
to see Ch’ang Hon patterns performed with hip twist
and the absence of sine wave, certainly took a few of
us on a trip down memory lane. It was a credit to the
performers how crisp and powerful the patterns
looked and a real pleasure to judge. There were some
excellent performances in the 4 th to 5 th Degree Veterans
section including Mr Anslow performing pattern Se
-Jong. However the veteran section was won by a Mr Bishop from P.U.M.A. with a superb performance
of Moon-Moo although a stewards’ enquiry is still underway as to whether or not they were actually his
legs he was using.
Individual adult and veteran sparring events saw some spirited competition and some distinct but friendly
rivalries. All competitors showed the true spirit of martial arts competition and made the jobs of the
senior referees that much easier by showing true respect for their opponent and keeping the sparring
competitive but without the edge that can sometimes creep in with events of this nature.
30

PLANET P.U.M.A.
There was a wealth of talent on display and some truly awe inspiring hard but flamboyant sparring that
really showed the quality of the competitors and the hard work of the enthusiastic and fair minded
coaches from all the different associations. To say thank you to the chief instructors of the attending organisations
Master Gayle, Master Ogborne and Master Black presented each chief instructor with a trophy
as a thank you for attending and supporting the event. Earlier in the day all Officials were presented
with a commemorative plaque as a thank you from P.U.M.A. for officiating, a very nice touch that was
well received and appreciated by all who gave up their time to help ensure the smooth running and success
of the event.
Then onto the adult team events and once more some very well thought out team patterns with the
Scottish Ladies Team performing an excellent routine to take first place. The team sparring events were
particularly hard fought and the final between the English Men’s Team coached by Mr Daniel Lammin 5 th
Degree and the Irish Team coached by Master Don Dalton had every one on the edge of their seat. The
Irish took first place in the end, with the final decider going into extra time. The final event was the special
technique breaking and again produced some very original displays which showed the more demanding
techniques that Taekwon-Do has to offer.
31

PLANET P.U.M.A.
At one point there was some skulduggery
afoot with members of another
association that I will not name (APTI)
trying to actively poach P.U.M.A. members
by walking around the hall with
hand written notes pinned to the back
of their doboks encouraging P.U.M.A.
members to defect with special rates for
deserters and cowards. I have to admit
that the dobok and licence rates were
very competitive and I was seriously
considering jumping ship until Master Ogborne took the matter into his own hands (literally) and frogmarched
the offenders towards the exit. That just goes to show that you can’t get much past a seven
foot Master who can see above most crowds. Apparently there was something about a hand written
transfer request (looking suspiciously like Master Ogborne’s writing allegedly) to join P.U.M.A. that
started it but that can’t be right, surely? This epitomised for me the friendly, good humoured atmosphere
of the tournament, which considering the amount of different groups involved and the titles being
fought for was truly inspiring and refreshing.
One of the recurring comments of the weekend was directed at the fairness and transparency of the
officials towards all competitors regardless of which association or style of Taekwon-Do. It was this coupled
with the fantastic attitude of all competitors and coaches which really made this event stand out.
As the saying goes “from little acorns mighty oak trees grow”, and I have no doubt from the comments
and feedback received that this little acorn will be a towering oak in next to no time at all.
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PLANET P.U.M.A.
The success of the event was down to the willingness and commitment of everyone involved from organisers,
competitors, umpires, referees and chief instructors to approach this with an open and inviting
attitude which put Taekwon-Do itself first and everything else second. The event was attended by no
less than nine Taekwon-Do Masters and the one thing that was missing from the event was ego. All nine
Masters were united with one aim, a successful and happy tournament where the true winner was the
art itself.
Master Ogborne said afterwards “Without doubt a fabulous weekend, high standard of competition full
of great memories. Look forward to the next one” which pretty much sums it up although I will leave the
last word to Master Gayle who said "P.U.M.A. martial arts have shown that the world of Taekwon-Do
can come together to produce something worthy of the General's legacy. This tournament was not
about competition, or winning or losing - it was about friendship and realising that the time has now
come to start building a more peaceful Taekwon-Do world."
Taekwon!
33

PLANET P.U.M.A.
THE ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIPS
By Nicoli Krekis
The English Championships, at the Swindon Oasis Sports Centre,
was the second tournament I have entered, after competing
in the Black Belt World Championships only a few
months before. I was again overwhelmed by the amount of
support shown by competitors, friends and family. There was
never a quiet moment in the Do-Jang as spectators surrounded
the six rings, cheering and clapping.
This was round about the moment my nerves started to get
the better of me and I wished more than anything that I
could just turn around and drive back home. As I went to
weigh in for the sparring, I felt my legs turning to jelly. Seeing
Danny Dowling standing at 6ft 3in, in comparison to my 5ft
7in, definitely didn’t help with my confidence, but then a
thought struck me and my nerves dissipated. For me, this
tournament wasn’t about winning, or getting graciously
The author, looking very calm at the
beginning of the day.
kicked in the head by a giant (again); it was about the experience I would gain once I came away from it,
with or without a win.
So after I received the brilliant news I was in the same sparring division as two 3 rd Degree black belts, I
started to stretch out and warm up for the patterns tournament. It was during this time that I really felt
better about not turning around and
driving back home. I met people who
seemed just as nervous as I had been
when I walked into the do-jang and it
was odd training with strangers because
they felt more like old friends.
That’s when I realised I was proud to
be a part of an organisation like
P.U.M.A.
Watching the women’s black belt
patterns, I started to panic just a
34

PLANET P.U.M.A.
little bit again. There were some fantastic
competitors and a very close final round to
finish it off. Anna Sukwong-Fletcher ended
up taking gold for the women’s adult
patterns. My nerves were almost back up to
panic level as my name was called to start
off the adult male black belt patterns. This
was my first tournament where I had competed
in patterns, and the first time in five
years since I had performed in front of a
crowd. It was my competitor who made me
relax as we spoke before performing our patterns. When it came to performing, I forgot about everyone
around me and just did what I loved doing. I got one out of the three votes, and congratulated my competitor
who went on to win the tournament.
After having the high of competing in the
patterns tournament, I was pumped and
ready for the sparring. There were only
three of us in the welter weight division and
we got talking before hand, I tried not to
think about the extra two golden strips on
their black belts and listened to the advice
they were giving me instead. Luckily I wasn’t
fighting Danny Dowling again, but instead
someone more my height (at least this time my kicks wouldn’t be limited to just reaching his waist).
Sadly, I did get kicked in the head again, and this
time it wasn’t so gracious. But the experience was
something else; by the end of the fight we were both
pouring with sweat and smiling as we had both given
each other a challenging fight. Even though I ended
up losing the fight I still had a smile on my face and
went home with two bronze medals from the English
Championships and a whole lot more experience to
put under my belt.
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PLANET P.U.M.A.
Birthday cakes at the English Championships, for a couple of great guys. Happy Birthdays, Sirs!!
36

PLANET P.U.M.A.
P.U.M.A. - People United Making A Difference.
By John Dowding
Sunday 10 th July 2011 saw eager members of P.U.M.A. Taekwon-Do association heading to a school in
Warmley near Bristol, U.K. The event was an all day Masters Seminar featuring three P.U.M.A. Masters
and one of P.U.M.A.’s most senior members, each giving a seminar on an aspect of Taekwon-Do close to
their hearts. P.U.M.A. members came from all areas of the UK including the sunny shores of Cornwall and
the dark satanic mills of the Northern regions,
and there was certainly no doubt
about the participants’ enthusiasm and
commitment to the art of Taekwon-Do.
The event was organised by Mr Derek Skidmore
4 th Degree, who is one of P.U.M.A.’s
original members and has been training in
Taekwon-Do for over twenty years. Mr
Skidmore and his team did a fantastic job of
organising and publicising the event and
sourced a venue large enough to accommodate
the seminar floor with plenty of room for participants and changing facilities and showers, which was
a real bonus after a full day of training in the July heat.
Mr Skidmore is a quiet and unassuming person who, through his own passion for the art he teaches, inspires
a huge amount of loyalty from his students and a desire to be involved from all in his schools, not
just students but parents and partners
as well. In fact a large group
of parents, partners and friends of
his students put in a fantastic
effort to ensure the training hall
was fully equipped with mats for
the seminar participants to train
on. Doesn’t sound much? Well it
involved a convoy of vehicles and
some significant mileage on the
day before the seminar and the
same again after the seminar
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PLANET P.U.M.A.
had finished. When everyone else
had happily made their way home,
Derek and helpers were still freely
giving up their time. Without people
like them, these events wouldn’t
happen.
The seminar itself started promptly
at 11:00 am and the atmosphere
in the hall was friendly with everyone
eager to get busy. Master
Mark Ogborne 7 th Degree was due
to start the day’s sessions and anticipation
levels were running high. Master Ogborne is well known in the world of Taekwon-Do having
been a World Sparring Champion no less than three times, a fact which he never mentions, or is it never
fails to mention? So it was an honour to have him take the first session and lead the group through a brief
warm up. His session then concentrated on self-defence partner drills and finished with some ground
work, which was new to some of the students. As is the case when enjoying oneself the hour long seminar
seemed to pass in the blink of an eye and it was time for session number two led by the legendary Master
Johnny Black 8 th Degree, who is one of the most senior practitioners of Taekwon-Do in the UK.
Master Black gained his ITF black belt in Hong Kong in the early seventies and is a truly legendary martial
artist. I think its fair to say once met, never forgotten! Master Black, although he probably doesn’t know
it, has personally inspired me more than any other instructor I have met in my Taekwon-Do journey. It
was a long time ago (before he was a Master) and I was a new 1 st Degree who had only met Master Black
a few times. He had made a comment to me during a very brief conversation about lending me some of
his Taekwon-Do VHS
(remember them) video collection
and I didn’t really think
much of it at the time. Things
like that get said all the time
often with the best of intentions.
Then six months or so
later I happened to be at a degree
grading where Master
Black was on the
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PLANET P.U.M.A.
grading panel and in
between his official
duties he made a
point of seeking me
out, taking me to the
car park and handing
me a bag of his
prized videos! I was
genuinely in awe that
this man had remembered
his words and
followed them
through because he saw my interest and wanted to further it. That is a measure of Master Black, and
more information on him can be found here http://www.devonmartialarts.co.uk/johnblack.htm
Master Black led a gung-ho kicking pad work seminar which started with simple techniques and gradually
led up to some very (for me) ambitious 360 degree flashy kicks which everyone enjoyed trying. You could
feel the enthusiasm and enjoyment in the air with everyone really giving it their all and then almost as
soon as it started the hour was over and it was time to break for lunch.
The afternoon session began promptly and was taken by P.U.M.A.’s chairman, Master Raymond Gayle 7 th
Degree. Master Gayle started his seminar with a talk on motivation and the required mind-set for successful
training and hinted that he may have a book on the subject soon to be published, so that’s another for
the Amazon wish list! After that it was time for some traditional Taekwon-Do basics practice covering the
finer points of the sine wave theory.
Master Gayle is well known as a committed
technician and is happy to spend
hours practising and teaching basics. He
tells a story of attending a seminar with
General Choi with some of the most
senior Taekwon-Do exponents in the
world including many Masters where all
they practised was Chon-Ji over and
over, and he follows the same approach.
After all if you don’t have solid foundations
you can’t have a strong house.
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PLANET P.U.M.A.
Finally the last seminar of
the day was taken by one of
P.U.M.A.’s most senior
members Mr Robert Tettmar
6 th Degree, a.k.a. “The Badger”.
Mr Tettmar started his
Taekwon-Do training under
Master Ogborne and Master
Gayle at the first school they
ran together in Bath back in
the eighties, and as such is
their oldest student. Mr
Tettmar is a personal friend
of mine as well as being my
training partner and my co-instructor at Warminster Taekwon-Do School, so it was no surprise that I ended
up in the role of crash test dummy for his seminar which focused on his speciality of sparring. Mr Tettmar
is especially adept at sparring psychology and “ring craft” and I have lost count of the amount of
times I have seen him beat opponents who had the skill to win but let frustration get the better of them,
leading them to make mistakes which is exactly what “The Badger” intends. Once again the time slipped
away and that was it for the day, time to hit the showers.
Four super seminars but with a difference as the purpose of the whole day and the funds raised through
ticket sales was for one reason,
CHARITY. Over the last
few years under the leadership
of the Masters and with
the full support of the members,
P.U.M.A. has made
some remarkable commitments
to support three charities
which are all very different
but each deserving in
their own way. The Friends
of Valence School is a wellestablished
centre of
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PLANET P.U.M.A.
excellence offering high quality learning opportunities and excellent social and health care to children and
young people who have physical disabilities and complex medical needs (www.valenceschool.com). The
Pilgrim Bandits is a charity set up originally by serving and ex-special forces personnel and devotes itself
to raising funds through physical challenges for a variety of other charities and good causes
(www.pilgrimbandits.com). The third worthy cause that P.U.M.A. supports is based in West Africa, in the
country of Ghana and in the words of Master Gayle “I went there originally because I was asked by the ITF
if I'd like to help with introducing and promoting ITF Taekwon-Do in West Africa. I wanted to do more for
them, so I am still there trying to do what I can with the help of P.U.M.A.”. Master Gayle and P.U.M.A.
members have travelled to Ghana many times over the past few years to promote Taekwon-Do and assist
the Ghanaian Taekwon-Do family to grow and develop. Members have donated time, money, instruction,
kit and anything they possibly can to help Taekwon-Do flourish and those efforts have led to the fruition
of a dream whereby a school and do-jang building project is finally being realised. This has been made
possible by the generosity of P.U.M.A. members and truly reflects the Taekwon-Do oath and the dream of
building a more peaceful world.
The aim of the seminar was to raise money for the causes supported by P.U.M.A. and a total of £1000
was raised and a cheque presented to Master Gayle on the day. This is a fantastic amount which will go a
long way and all for doing what we love, practising Taekwon-Do, which can’t be bad! This year alone over
£20,000 has been raised through the members’ and Masters’ efforts, which is a truly phenomenal
achievement. P.U.M.A. stands for the Professional Unification of Martial Arts but as Master Gayle signs
off his emails P.U.M.A. – People United Making A Difference, which I think says more about us as an Association
than our official title.
41

My Journey Through Taekwon-Do
PLANET P.U.M.A.
The following is an inspiration story about how Taekwon-Do can shape someone’s life and help them even
when the going gets tough. For personal reasons the author wishes to remain anonymous.
I was recently giving a friend from Taekwon-Do a comforting word before his A’ Levels started, the words
‘Indomitable Spirit’ and ‘Perseverance’, which were used a lot, led me to thinking about Taekwon-do and
what it means to me. Thinking back, there are only two hobbies that have stuck with me during all of my
life, playing the drums and Taekwon-Do. My journey in Taekwon-Do started at the age of 10 or 11, the
exact date and year escapes me. I was moderately bullied at primary school for the colour of my hair and
the build of my body. I saw the advert for a Taekwon-Do School at the local chip shop and decided to
attend. I didn’t enjoy the first lesson or the School but I was amazed at the skill of the senior grades and
hooked on those awesome kicks. I begged my parents to find another School. A week later I started training
with another organisation, and I was hooked on Taekwon-Do; I’m not sure why, it was just invigorating
I guess. I was never really big on sports, but doing something else that none of my school friends did
made me feel on top of the world. When my instructor told me at the end of my first lesson that I had one
of the best turning kicks he’d seen as a beginner, I vowed to come back.
When I first put on my dobok, I felt the part, it was amazing and it gave me the right mind-set to begin my
training. One of my proudest moments, was when my granddad came and watched me train. He and my
grandma had bought me my first dobok, so it was a great honour to have him watch me train. I was grading
for either my green belt or my blue belt when he was admitted in to hospital with leukaemia and was
proud to go into hospital to show him my grading certificate. Sadly he passed away a few months after
that. When I started my two final years in school, 10 and 11, Taekwon-Do I am afraid to say, became more
of a chore. I was more interested in forming a band and playing with them, getting girls and enjoying the
teenage dream of being in a rock ‘n’ roll band. So I stopped attending classes as often. My instructor
forced me to come and put in the hours out of class for me to grade for red belt, which was the last belt I
would get with the organisation. The do-jang and my instructor became a place I feared and my classes
became something I dreaded each day. I left to concentrate on my exams and my music soon after that.
After two years of playing in a band, myself and my band mates fell apart, which left me lost and confused.
I had lost the two things that had been with me throughout my life, and with my sister whom I was
extremely close to leaving for University, for the first time my life fell apart. I spent the last two years of
sixth form, working and playing drums in a few bands but nothing ever serious came out of it. I then started
working at Tesco’s during my gap year and I met a girl. This was
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PLANET P.U.M.A.
also the time I met one of the most influential people of my life so far, Mr Philip Whitlock. After breaking
up with my girlfriend, I started to talk with Mr Whitlock a lot more and was interested in everything
he had to say. He was someone who was happy to talk to me for hours about everything that was going
wrong. He sat there and listened and offered me advice, just because that’s the kind of person he is. I
can’t thank him enough.
Taekwon-Do had never left me, there had been times when I had kicked around in my dobok outside
and I have to admit, I loved the feeling. It was in February 2009, that I slipped on my old West of England
dobok, tied that red belt around my waist and attended Mr Whitlock’s Bradley Stoke School for the
first time. I thoroughly enjoyed my first lesson and began to love training even more, my friendship developed
with Mr Whitlock and the other students and I even got to train with Mr Pixton when I attended
a Yate class.
However, in April, my world came crumbling down again, when my sister tried to commit suicide at University.
I remember walking into the do-jang the day after my dad and myself had driven up to her University
to get her. I think I was giving Mr W some money for my license or something. He came outside
when he saw me and asked me if I was OK, and I’m pretty sure I just burst into tears when I explained
everything. I think Mr W was quite unsure as to what to do, so he just offered his apologies for what I
was going through and gave me a firm handshake and hug and told me to call him if I needed him. Mr
W was there the whole way through and I wouldn’t have been able to get through it without his support.
As my sister got better I started training again, Mr Whitlock’s support and guidance was invaluable
and he started drilling my patterns into my head. I remember the day before the Yate May Day demonstration
which I was so looking forward to; I had a great training session, came home and went for a
bike ride with my sister. Unfortunately, that night, my dad knocked on her door and opened it to find
she had overdosed on medication she found in a cupboard, another attempt at suicide. I texted Mr W
and explained that I probably wouldn’t be able to make the demonstration and spent the night curled
up on the seats at A & E, with my world spinning.
As I went through the whole cycle again, my sister getting better and my training starting to progress
again, I met some of the most inspirational people that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting; Mr Pixton,
Mr Swain and Miss J Francis. These were people who I had heard stories about since I had started
with P.U.M.A., and now I was meeting them and talking to them. I felt extremely honoured to say the
least. In the summer of 2009, I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with Mr Swain and the whole
Francis family. For those of you who have never met the Francis Family or Mr Swain, you are missing
out. They all have an extremely amazing knowledge of Taekwon-do and are some of the nicest people
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PLANET P.U.M.A.
you could meet; it’s like having a second family, although it is a bit daunting that they all have black belts,
especially when Mr Swain and Miss J Francis spar each other for the last ice cream. When I went to University
in Wales, I was very lucky in that Mr Whitlock started teaching at Chepstow; I kept up with my
training, training in Chepstow and in Bristol and Swindon at the weekends and during the holidays. I am
now hopefully going to attempt to grade for my Black Tag in a few months, after the guidance from both
Mr Whitlocks, Mr Pixton, Mr Swain, the Francis family and Master Gayle.
My story demonstrates why P.U.M.A. is a great thing to be a part of; it is a story of pain but also of Indomitable
Spirit and Perseverance, something I would never have been able to do without my instructor being
so great, so patient and going beyond the call of duty more times than I can count. It is also about the
friendships I have formed with everyone involved in P.U.M.A. And so I will leave you with a quote that
Miss Laura Francis told me last night, ‘'Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds.' When life
gets hard, when things change, true love remains the same.’ My love for Taekwon-Do will never change,
even when life gets hard and things change, I will find joy and laughter and self-belief in it. Taekwon-Do
means a lot to me as does P.U.M.A., and I wish everyone reading this the best in their journey, and I hope
I meet all of you soon.
Taekwon
44

The Planet P.U.M.A. Word Search For Yellow Belts
PLANET P.U.M.A.
C H O N J I X B A C D E C N A T S P D O
O S T Y N T C L Z P K J A L V P T T O D
U S E M I N D O M I T A B L E R R I O R
R O A R T L K C U T R L L E J H A B J O
T P I S V W A K L O E L Z Y I D N P I T
E P V O P L X Z W G P I E L O P G P R S
S A B U N I M E S K V R O L S A E O U G
Y O C P O L N A J U N D E I A P R L G I
A C H Z P T W T Q F L A T G C H M S I E
R V O U U O D B E L T M L A M U P S K C
T S N X D N D U N G Q W K H Q K R Z A N
P C T O E W U T P U R A B C L N E O N E
H A P I C B E G O N L I P P A N S P M R
T I G H O A Q P N N M O T O D U S S I E
L N D A S D P T X A W T O Y T N U S P V
I G O S A J N I U N D D A T E N P W P E
T V B P T L P K L S A N G B L A K N O S
Y E O F O I K Y D O B S E R E S C A P R
U T K V N V O C H G L A V O C U L L V E
C I T I G L K A J I S J E A K O M L A P
ANNUN BELT BLOCK CHON-JI COURTESY DANGUN DOO DRILL GUNNANSOGI FLAT INDOMITABLE IN-
TEGRITY JIRUGI NAJUNDE NOPUNDE NUINJASOGI PALMOK PERSERVERENCE PRESSUP PUMA PUNCH
SANG SIJAK STANCE STRANGER SPIRIT SONKAL YOPCHAGI
T
he Little PUMA corner
The PUMA syllabus has accidently been put through the spaghetti scrambling machine. Can
you unscramble it so the class can begin?
RELBOKC DLPILRL MLAP DAPKCIK HCPNU REGNARTS
45

1. General Choi said that everything the Taekwon-Do practitioner needed was contained in those
5 tenets.
2. Jirugi is usually translated as punch, but is better translated as punching or piercing technique
(hence yopcha jirugi is side piercing kick);
3. Guburyo Junbi Sogi;
4. Kung-Fu, starring David Carradine, 1970-72. He played Master Kan, the monk who was in charge
of the Shaolin temple;
5. ‘Valley of chestnuts’;
6. 1501 to 1570;
7. October 3 rd ;
8. Eui-Am, Moon-Moo, Yon-Gae and So-San;
9. ‘The Best Of The Best’;
10. Master Han Il Dong
PLANET P.U.M.A.
The Planet P.U.M.A. Pub Quiz
1. Why are there only 5 tenets of Taekwon-Do?
2. What does the word jirugi mean in English?
3. What is the Korean name for the bending ready stance found in pattern Won-Hyo?
4. Do-San’s son, Philip Ahn, appeared in which American television series?
5. What does the name Yul-Gok literally mean?
6. When did Yi Hwang ‘Toi-Gye’ live?
7. Dan-Gun’s birthday is celebrated on which day of the year?
8. Which were the last four of the 24 patterns to be created by General Choi in the 1970’s?
9. In which film starring Eric Roberts did Taekwon-Do Master Hee Il Cho feature as one of the senior
Korean instructors?
10. Who was General Choi’s instructor in Tae Kyon?
Answers
46

T he Search
Planet P.U.M.A. editors, Pete Bullough and Matthew Lloyd, have
lost their back issues of the magazine. Can you help find them?
PLANET P.U.M.A.
47

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