Issue 10 - Professional Unification of Martial Arts

EDITORIAL
Daniel Lammin
4th degree Taekwon-Do
Editor
Richard Potter
3rd degree Taekwon-Do
Assistant Editor
Welcome to Issue 10 of Planet P.U.M.A. Despite the wettest early summer for over three hundred years we haven’t let this
dampen our spirits, with the season being typically busy in the martial arts world.
Due to the sheer volume of events that have taken place over the past few months we just haven’t been able to fit it all in. The
good news for you the reader is we’ve extended this issue to a massive 32 pages, including a four page full colour write up of the
ITF Taekwon-Do World Championships held at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. The Championships were by far the
biggest Taekwon-Do event to take place in this country for many a year, with competitors from over forty countries and six
continents descending upon Birmingham for a week of action packed competition. Once again P.U.M.A. students made up a large
proportion of Team UK and every single one of them deserves congratulations for the work that they have put in during the build
up to these championships. Turn to page fifteen to find out exactly how they all got on and all about this momentous event!
We also have an interview with Mr Gary Bradshaw, Taekwon-Do fifth degree, grading examiner and P.U.M.A. team coach. In a
change from our usual format his own students put the questions to him from everything from martial arts to fishing.
Having explored martial arts in Africa in the last issue we now move on to Japan courtesy of an article by Matthew Collins of
Southampton. Matthew is a first degree in Taekwon-Do and has recently spent two years teaching English and learning Judo in
Japan. Find out how he coped with a new martial art, a new language and a completely different culture.
In addition we have the winning junior essay from the April black belt grading, a piece on the tenets of Taekwon-Do and why they
are important as well as a report on how P.U.M.A. kickboxing is blossoming in Gravesend. If that’s not enough for you then
there’s plenty more including all our regular columns and features with a welcome return of the Tang Soo-Do column, where you
can find a full guide to Bong Hyung Sambo (also known as Bo Pattern 3).
If you attended this year’s summer camp - and from its size you probably did - you will no doubt be feverishly anticipating our
winter camp, which will be held early in November at the usual venue in Warmwell, Dorset. It’s over 18s only (sorry), lasts for a
weekend and shouldn’t be too chilly. Check the P.U.M.A. web site for details and get your application in.
Speaking of web matters, there’s something else we’d like to tell you about. For a while now we’ve threatened to make back
issues of Planet P.U.M.A. available online for download. We have now dragged ourselves kicking and screaming into the nineties
and are delighted to announce a revamped magazine page on the web site, complete with a downloadable version of our launch
issue which debuted back in June 2005. At the time of writing only this first issue is available to judge reaction, but by the time
you read this we may have made some later editions available. This service is provided free of charge to you because we love
you all. Do write and let us know what you think of it.
That’s all for now. Until issue 11, happy reading

Gary Bradshaw
Mr Gary Bradshaw is a 5th degree black belt in
Taekwon-Do, P.U.M.A. grading examiner and head
coach. He also coaches the RAF’s sparring team
and has been a UKITF coach at the last 3 World
Championships. In 2006 he helped guide England to
being crowned Overall World Champions in
Australia for the first time in ITF history. In a
change from our usual format Mr Bradshaw’s own
students got to ask the questions - find out just
what they wanted to know below. Thank you to
everyone who submitted questions and Mrs Elaine
Bradshaw for coordinating everything.
What first attracted you to Taekwon-Do?
Alice Ball 10 th Kup
I had always wanted to do a Martial Art from a very young age
but money and availability got in the way so I did not take up
Taekwon-Do until I was married. I took up Taekwon-Do
because that was the Martial Art available to me on the nights I
was free to train. So it was just a happy accident that I started
training in Taekwon-Do as opposed to any other martial art.
Why are you still doing Taekwon-Do?
Vicky Randle 1 st Kup
Taekwon-Do has become my way of life, which is a good way
to live; it has provided me with a solid set of morals, many
good friends and a good outlook on life in general.
Were you a natural at Taekwon-Do or did you have to work
very hard?
Sophie Wadsley 3 rd Kup
Some people may say yes but I’ve had to work hard to achieve
everything that I have, so I do not think that I am a natural.
How many distinctions did you get at your gradings?
Luke Wadsley 7 th Kup
At my coloured belt gradings there were only passes &
advanced passes of which I got 6 advanced passes. The
gradings were very different then and a much harder style of
Martial Arts was looked for. Being a fairly physically strong
person I had a natural advantage.
Who has been your biggest influence?
Sam Ball 10 th Kup
I am going to have to disappoint a lot of high graded people
now as my greatest influence will always be my first Instructor
Mr Roy Slater 1 st Dan who guided me morally and physically
through my first gradings which laid the foundation for my
future training. This is the person I will always consider to be
my Instructor even though he remained a 1 st Degree and
retired from Taekwon-Do many years ago.
Have you ever had to use your Taekwon-Do skills in a real
situation?
Harry Wright Little P.U.M.A.
I’ll take the 5 th amendment on this one on the grounds that I
may incriminate myself! But seriously I have, it worked and I
had to do it.
In your younger years how did you do in the martial arts
competitions that you entered?
Tony Scott 1 st Degree
I entered many competitions and though I won medals I
consider myself enthusiastic rather than gifted. I have
always enjoyed competition and have great respect for all
competitors. When I was younger there was no access to
any good coaches for average competitors. The elite got a
lot of attention and help but there was no development
programme. This is something I hope we are addressing in
P.U.M.A. with the open door policy to squad training.
When was the last time you competed internationally
and how did you get on?
Jake Mathieson 1 st Kup
Way back in the early 1990’s at the World Championships
held at Granby Halls in Leicester. I got to the quarter finals in
the light heavyweight sparring, went out in the first round of
patterns and came 2 nd in power.
What is your biggest regret in Taekwon-Do?
Martyn Lloyd 2 nd Kup
That I never had access to a good competition coach who
could have made me into a good competitor, possibly even
an international champion. This however is to the P.U.M.A.
squads’ advantage because this is what drives me to be the
best coach I can be for P.U.M.A..
Are there days when you don’t feel like training or
Taekwon-Do?
Luke Challand 1 st Degree
Yes, there are and the older you get the more of them you
have. These are the days that you need to find the
motivation to get up and on with it! If you do not, these days
get closer & closer together until you find that you are no
longer doing Taekwon-Do, so these are the dangerous days
when you must train.
4

How do you fit a social life and other hobbies into your
busy schedule?
Cheryl Challand 1 st Degree
Pretty much like everyone else I fit things in where I can. I do
think the main difference with myself is that my working life is
my main hobby, other than that I just find the time I can and
use it the best I can.
What is your favourite pastime?
Daniel Challand 1 st Degree
I have been know to enjoy the odd hour fly fishing as our
freezer, well stocked with trout for most of the year, will testify. I
spend a lot of my time helping other people which I enjoy doing
and never regret but I have always enjoyed being on my own
and treasure these times. I also enjoy painting and reading.
What is your favourite type of movie?
Connor Mathieson 1 st Kup
I do like Science fiction and also historical movies. My favourite
films are Star Wars, In Which We Serve, Separate Tables, The
Cruel Sea and Bridge Over The River Kwai.
If you could go back in history, what time would you
choose and what character would you be?
Alex and Anthony Ducker 1 st Degrees
Having thought long and hard about this, now is the time I
would live and I am the person I would be. History made our
time and consequently made me I would not alter anything as I
am happy with whom I am and the life I lead.
Where did you start your first school?
Luke Scott 1 st Degree
My first school was Chesterfield which I took over from my
Instructor. This school began on 10 th Feb 1986 and I was the
first student to start training there.
Who has been your most successful student to date?
Paula Wheatley (mother of Callum Wheatley 6 th Kup)
It depends on how you count success. If you look at people like
Emma Deakin, Kimberley Bradshaw, Curt and Jake Stevens
along with many others, these students are achieving at the top
end of their potential. However, the student who has gone way
beyond his potential in Taekwon-Do and life in general is
Nathan Nunnick 2 nd Degree from Eastwood. If Nathan had
listened to medical advice he would be learning to walk at this
time in his life instead he ignored this at an early age got up
and walked, trained in Taekwon-Do and is looking towards
getting his 3 rd Degree. This is what I call success.
What has been your proudest Taekwon-Do moment?
Isabelle Keeton 4 th Kup and Natalie Monk 7 th Kup
Seeing England win the Best Overall Country at the Junior
World Championships in Australia in 2006 and knowing in
some small way I had helped bring this about.
Are you working towards becoming a Master? If so, will
this be gained when you pass your next degree grade or is
it decided by a select panel?
Mark Mathieson 2 nd Kup
Although one day I hope to get such a grade it is not something
that I seek but something that will happen if I continue to
progress. You should always be wary of what you seek as you
may just find it.
How do you feel that Little P.U.M.A classes help your
students when they move up to juniors?
Mandy Hallam 1 st Degree, Little P.U.M.A.s instructor
When Little P.U.M.A. Instructors have been strong on
discipline I find that the Little P.U.M.A.s do very well within
my Taekwon-Do Classes and so these young students
become a definite asset, fill the classes up and stay with you
a long time. I think in situations where the Little P.U.M.A.
Instructors and Taekwon-Do Instructors are different people
within the same school it is essential that the Little P.U.M.A.
Instructor runs their classes with a view to preparing them
for moving up into the Taekwon-Do class when the time
comes.
What is your favourite pattern and why?
The Wadsley Family
I have not got a favourite pattern. All the patterns are
important or else they would not be there and as a student I
do not believe it is my place to like or dislike any pattern
more than any of the others, but that I should study them all
with equal diligence.
Do you think that Taekwon-Do will ever get the
recognition that other martial arts get and if not, why
not?
Darren Challand 2 nd Kup
I think Taekwon-Do has already got recognition within the
martial arts world but that martial arts have little recognition
outside their own community within Britain. In my opinion
this is mainly due to the fact that there are too many small
associations lead by too many big leaders.
Where do you want to be in 10 years time?
Philip Urwin 5 th Kup
Still beside my wife.
When will you find time to finish the back garden and
build a new kitchen?
Mrs Bradshaw 4 th Degree
I do not know but I will try, honest!
Thank you to all of the students who submitted
questions and Mr Bradshaw for taking the time to
answer them.
5

STAR KICKBOXING
Operating out of the Kent Hinterlands, Star Kickboxing have made a big hit on the
P.U.M.A. Kickboxing scene . Sam Fagence tells all about Gravesend’s finest...
Every great school started with an instructor pacing around an empty
church hall, school gym or leisure centre minutes before lesson one of
a new school, wondering whether anyone was actually going to turn
up. In this particular case the location is Riverview Park Scout Hut in
Gravesend, Kent on September 19 th 2005.
In preparing this article I asked assistant instructor Mr Leigh Howarth
when the first lesson of Star Kickboxing took place. Immediately, the
date and time tripped off his tongue without even the hint of a pause
for recollection. It is strikingly obvious that this is something of which
he is immensely proud and who could blame him?
Two days after this conversation I am standing directly under the
searching gaze of Mr Chris Walker trying desperately not to fall over
whilst performing a stepping roundhouse kick (or at least to do so only
when he isn’t looking). Behind me is just a small selection of the
school’s dedicated kickboxers and behind them are eight of the twenty
white belts who have come to the school over the last three months.
The latter have come here because of the excellent things they have
heard about the school through word of mouth, the former are still here
because they know that the stories are true. Sitting along the left side
of the basketball court are almost all of the school’s senior students
who have given up their Saturday mornings just to come and provide
moral support.
Mr Paul Haworth, like all school owners, probably never imagined
sitting in a black suit and tie at this examination table watching the
performance of his own students when he first wrapped a martial arts
belt around his waist. Neither did he imagine that he would one day
bring four students to the P.U.M.A. Kickboxing Championships and
take four first place trophies away with them.
Like many who in later life would be skilled instructors and fierce
fighters, he had started martial arts classes as a child to deal with
bullying problems. After twelve months in Wado Ryu Karate his father,
Leigh, was also enrolled. As a first Dan, they switched from Karate to
Taekwon-Do with Paul in search of a better competition scene. He
found it in the small but highly ranked Family Martial Arts association.
Like in all the best kung fu movies, those who were to become good
friends were at first deadly enemies (sort of). At the 2001 Clash of the
Titans, the Family Martial Arts team faced off against the P.U.M.A.
squad. Paul would fight against them again at the Clashes in 2002 and
2003 and would also gain a special invitation to the P.U.M.A. British
Championships in 2002 (which, he doesn’t hesitate to remind me, he
won). Leigh became rather well known at some of these events for the
sheer decibel level of the crowd support he marshalled. At one event,
Master Ogbourne came to shake his hand and jokingly asked what it
would cost for him to switch sides and support P.U.M.A. instead. It
didn’t cost him anything; by the end of 2003 they were members of Mr
David Harper’s P.U.M.A. Taekwon-Do school in Gravesend.
It was David Harper (a Clash team mate) who helped Paul towards the
dream of school ownership. At first Paul gained teaching experience
through taking Saturday sparring classes at Gravesend Taekwon-do. I
remember him once coming in and saying, “I’m learning kickboxing
and it’s completely different and I’m going to seem really slow”. He
certainly didn’t. As he has watched his students grow in confidence
and skill, I have seen Paul grow in stature as an instructor. When I ask
him what he has learnt from running the school he talks about gaining
confidence, planning and, “learning that just because I like doing
The school’s instructors. From left to right:
Leigh Haworth (assistant instructor), Paul Haworth (chief
instructor) and Kevin Wanstall (assistant instructor)
School members show off a veritable pile of trinkets
gleaned at the W.U.M.A Kent Championships.
6

something doesn’t mean everyone else does”. I can think of at least
ten physically shattering exercises he could be referring to.
The team of instructors was completed by the addition of Mr Kevin
Wanstall, a second Dan former colleague from FMA and doorman of
over four years experience. Over time it has become his speciality to
coach and inspire the beginners and at the grading it is he who offers
the greatest shouts of encouragement during the fitness and sparring
segments. “One of the best things about the school is the feedback,”
adds P.U.M.A. Lightweight Kickboxing Champion Lorraine Tiller. “It’s
great to have three coaches instead of just one”.
It was these three who waited with baited breath in that scout hut for
the initial turn out for the first class. They saturated the local area with
some leaflets and hoped for at least 12 adults and maybe 10 juniors.
The first class numbered 42 and within 4 months they had outgrown
the venue entirely, moving to a local college.
Though the school aims high in fitness and sparring ability, tellingly
when I ask the senior students about what they have gained most from
the school they talk most about growing in confidence and spirit. Carla
Sullivan tells me that, “When I started, I had no confidence at all.
When I watched Leigh and Paul spar with each other at the first class I
was terrified. I never thought that I could do anything like that”.
Michelle Tidman, another who turned up for that first lesson, nods in
agreement. “I had never dreamed that I would end up entering
sparring competitions,” adds the P.U.M.A. Middleweight Champion, “I
never thought I had that side in me.”
It was the promise of fitness training that brought Michelle to the class
although she had initial reservations about what Kickboxing entailed.
That promise was certainly kept and she was quickly convinced the
sport was for her. “I loved everything from day one onwards,” she told
me, “and I loved being able to see my own improvement. The gradings
gave me real incentive to keep going.” When she says that her aim is
to get her black belt, she says so with determination. Any other
outcome is inconceivable. There are a number of students in the class
who have considerable prior experience in the martial arts and
Michelle is able to match any of them in terms of both technique and
attitude.
Many of the students came like Michelle in search of fitness and found
much more. “I just wanted to find something I could stick to”,
volunteers Nicola Salmon. “Now I feel much more confident when I am
out walking on my own. I feel like I could defend myself and if not at
least I now have the energy to run away”. At this, everyone laughs.
Laughter isn’t a strange sound in this room. “There’s a great deal of
friendliness in this school,” says Lorraine. “You never feel isolated and
I really enjoy training with the people here.” The strong social side of
the school is another thing of which the instructors are justly proud.
“Most of the time it’s hard to get people out of the room when a
lesson’s ended because everyone is standing in circles and chatting,”
adds Leigh. “No-one wants to go home”.
From supporting each other at competitions and gradings, from charity
events, from post grading meals and trips to see Seni 07 and K1, the
school does things together. At the time of writing, the latest group
outing will be a trip to Bournemouth to watch Paul Haworth compete in
his third professional full contact bout. There is no greater inspiration
for students than to see their instructor prove what he says in the ring
and many have spoken to me about following his example in the
future. For now the instructors talk of closer goals like other
competitions and getting the school’s first black belts.
“If it wasn’t for the instructors being who they are then the school
wouldn’t be so successful,” says Michelle and I am inclined to agree.
Running a school so far from the centre of the organisation has not
been easy but Lorraine Tiller, Michelle Tidman, Marc Forsyth and
Glenn Meritt winning in P.U.M.A.’s in-house competition represents the
school’s coming of age. At the time of publishing, it will be the school’s
second birthday so I’ll hope you’ll join me in wishing them every
success in the future.
I would also like to mention Mrs Lin Haworth who is the unsung hero of
Star Kickboxing. You are always there, giving up so much of your time
to facilitate the school in terms of accounts and paperwork, to be a
friendly face for everyone and to train with us as well.
This article is dedicated to you, Ma’am.
The moment of impact. Notice how both the pad and the
impacting foot vaporise as the attacking limb’s kinetic
energy is converted into heat.
A normal lesson and everybody’s having a fine old time.
More trophies, this time from the 2007 P.U.M.A.
Championships
7

More dollops of trivia and frivolity. Remember,
if you have any dollops you’d like published
then send them to us. Otherwise we won’t
publish them.
JUMP
Cardiff Bay, Millennium Centre 27 th April 2007: approximately 20
students from the Cardiff P.U.M.A. school, together with our instructor
Mr Kevin McCabe, were enjoying the beginning of the weekend. We
had all met up to see “Jump”, a Korean non verbal play about an
ordinary family with one exception – they all employ Taekwon-Do to
settle their disputes!
The show was a massive hit in its native Korea and first came to the
UK at the 2005 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The Ye-Gam Theatre
Company’s 9 cast members spent 3 years perfecting their acrobatic,
comedic and Taekwon-do skills for ‘Jump’ – and it showed (and my
wife now expects the same muscle definition on me – God help me!).
In a series of slapstick misadventures poking fun at a host of familiar
themes from the Matrix’s “bullet time” to Superman-like alter egos
(don’t take this guy’s glasses off!) we got to meet the members of the
family who proceeded to spar with not only each other but also with
the two hapless burglars who made the mistake of trying to rob the
family’s home.
Adults and children alike thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Whether
admiring the skills on display or laughing at the events unfolding
before us, no one had anything less than a fantastic time.
My one regret in writing this article is that if you haven’t seen this
show already you may have missed your chance. As a Taekwon-do
student I found it inspiring to watch (as well as amusing and
exhilarating).
By Jon Draper 7 th Kup
An occasional feature where we find people in P.U.M.A.
who look a bit like somebody famous.
Curious fact: not only does Mr Kevin McCabe, regular
magazine contributor (see his credentials at the end of
the Taekwon-Do technical column) resemble Mr Simon
Pegg, comedy actor and star of the motion moviegram
“Hot Fuzz”, our sources indicate they have never been
seen together. Seems a bit suspicious.
NEXT TIME: it’s a surprise.
Jennie Clark’s
Random Bowing
We are taught as martial artists to respect our
instructors, seniors & fellow students. One of
the many, many ways of showing this respect
is to bow & say “Yes Sir” or ”Yes Ma'am”. We
bow on entering and leaving the training hall,
when passing equipment to one another and
asking questions etc. Sometimes students
forget they are not in the training hall and the
etiquette side can produces embarrassing
results for them, but hilarious moments for the
rest of us.
After purchasing a new car I was presented
with a bouquet of flowers. When handed them
I bowed! I certainly got a strange look. When
sharing this story with fellow students I found I
wasn't the only one who’d had a 'random
bowing moment'. Here are some of the
stories I’ve been told so far. If you've had a
similar moment do contact Planet P.U.M.A.
and tell us all about it...
Joe Woolmington:
Nici Ogborne:
Daniel Lammin:
Kevin McCabe:
Daniel Parker:
Maria Murray:
Andy Hardie:
(Unknown at FAST Defence):
Claire Roughley:
Both walking in and out of her
front door.
When leaving playgroup (in
front of about 20 watching
parents)
Entering and leaving the office.
Before getting into his car.
Coming out of the toilet.
Took a till receipt with both
hands and bowed in Morrisons.
Handed someone some frozen
peas and bowed in the
supermarket.
Bowed to the bulletmen and
made everyone laugh.
Bowed at the airport security
guard in Exeter airport when
they had finished checking that
she wasn’t carrying anything
she shouldn’t be.
8

The Martial Artist And
The Environment
The winning Junior Essay from the April 2007 Taekwon-Do black belt grading
- Courtesy of Mr Scott Esnouf, now 1st Dan.
Is there a link between the martial artist and the environment?
A martial art is defined in the Encarta English Dictionary as “a system of combat and self-defence developed in Japan and now
usually practised as a sport”; I believe this is a wrong interpretation of what a martial art is because a martial art can originate
from any country or region. Not all martial arts are just about fighting or defending oneself, many are a lot more involved; they
may be about meditation, being in touch with nature or your inner self. I do agree that some people practice martial arts as a
sport to keep fit for example but sometimes what the martial art was originally about has been lost through commercialisation.
A martial artist is a person who is a practitioner of a single or many martial arts. In my opinion a martial art is a way of reacting
to situations and it becomes a part of life for the martial artist.
The Environment is defined in the Encarta English Dictionary as “the natural world, within which people, animals, and plants
live”, I agree with aspects of this definition in that the Environment is made of people, animals and plants. To some people the
Environment is more than that and that it almost has a spirit, a life force. A number of people try to connect to nature in a
spiritual way and think that we should all live with nature in the universe with harmony and understanding.
There is a Chinese religious philosophy known as Taoism which is incorporated in the soft or internal arts and they exhibit a
stronger and deeper relationship with the natural world. Lao Tzu, a Chinese sage who is believed to have written down the
philosophy of Taoism around 300 BC, was an ascetic who spent much of his life as a recluse in natural surroundings. The soft
martial arts of china, hsing-i, pa-kua and t’ai-chi, are based on his teachings derived from his observations of nature. Taoism
emerged in China thousands of years ago, and it is Taoism alone among all the major religions and philosophies of the world
that has remained true to the ancient vision of man’s place in the universe. Whereas Confucianism stresses man’s role within
the social order, Taoism teaches that man should live in harmony with nature and that he should discover that harmony by
closely observing and ingesting the beings and events of the natural world.
I think that all martial arts have adopted some form of the Taoism philosophy, whether through studying animal movements
and finding out the meaning of the movements (i) rather than the actual physical movements (hsing), such as the soft art of
hsing-i, or through meditation, relaxation and slow movements that reflect and respond to the Environment, t’ai-chi. Even hard
or external martial arts such as karate or Taekwon-Do relate in some way to the environment, to respect and to harmonise
oneself with nature. As shown by the development of Taekwon-Do relating metaphorically to a growing tree through the colour
of the belts: yellow signifies earth, from which a plant sprouts and takes root as the Taekwon-Do foundation is being laid, green
signifies the plant’s growth as Taekwon-Do skills begin to develop, blue signifies the heaven towards which the plant matures
into a towering tree as training in Taekwon-Do progresses.
I feel it is important for martial artists to be at harmony with the environment because in order to be at peace with the
environment we must be at peace with ourselves and prevent the metaphorical global warming in our own bodies before we
turn to the outside world and then we can observe and wonder at the beings and events of the natural world in peace and
harmony, so I do believe there is a link between a martial artist and the environment. I am going to read Lao Tzu’s seminal
work, the Tao Te Ching, to learn about Taoism and try to apply the teachings to my life.
“The weakest things in the world can overmatch the strongest things in the world.
Nothing in the world can be compared to water for its weak and yielding nature; yet in attacking the hard and the strong
nothing proves better than it. For there is no alternative to it.
The weak can overcome the strong and the yielding can overcome the hard. This all the world knows but does not
practise.”
-From the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Bibliography:
The Way of the Warrior, the Paradox of the Martial Arts. Howard Reid and Michael Croucher
Encarta English Dictionary
9

TKD and ASD: a parent writes
Advertisements for martial arts schools often promise big benefits in developing our children’s life skills.
Can they deliver on those promises? A parent of two children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders recounts
their experiences before and after starting to train.
A few months ago my seven year old son strode purposefully
into the kitchen and informed me that he wants to be a Kung
Fu master when he grows up. He left the room and that was
that. At the time, I thought of it as just another of the funny
things he says to me that brighten my day, but that comment
led to a very beneficial change for our family.
My fourteen year old son, Anthony, is diagnosed with
Asperger Syndrome and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder. My seven year old son, Peter, is diagnosed with
Non-verbal Learning Disorder. My five year old daughter,
Sophia, is simply diagnosed as long suffering! I also have
to mention the fact that I would never manage without my
truly supportive husband.
Anthony’s diagnosis ten years ago was my first introduction
to Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) and at this point our
life was far from normal.
I became very isolated as my son’s behaviour in social
situations was aggressive, out of control and usually
deemed my fault. He had been asked to leave three
nurseries because they couldn’t cope; quite a feat at only
three years old! Supermarket shopping had rapidly come to
a halt after other shoppers were seen ducking the flying
missiles coming from the child seat of my trolley. It just
became easier not to go where other people were. When
we received the diagnosis, we thought surely now people
will be more understanding and there will be lots of help.
Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Anthony was
given medication, which did calm him down dramatically.
This enabled us to at last have some meaningful
communication with him. He was able to start school and
was soon discovered to have a very high IQ - another
positive. But it wasn’t long before school became an issue
again. The teachers were coping with him, but he couldn’t
cope with school.
The local authority would not give our son a statement of
special educational needs because his IQ was too high and
therefore he did not have a learning difficulty, so we tried
different schools, including a small village school and a
private school, and we even looked into trying to raise the
money ourselves so that he could attend a specialist school,
but this was way out of reach. We read books, joined the
local support group and spent a lot of time speaking to
different professionals. It took ten years, and shouldn’t have,
but the constant battle was won in the end. Anthony was
statemented and within two weeks of starting his local
specialist school he was transformed. It is a small, calm
environment, run by people who understand his needs and
have time to help him address his difficulties in context. As
a result the anxieties don’t build up and then explode at
home. He finds it easier to address them as they arise
because he is now in the right environment and is learning
the techniques that enable him to do so.
We are delighted that Anthony’s future now looks so much
more positive. He has a growing social life, he is happy and
fulfilling his potential but it was no fun getting there. He had
a right to enjoy experiencing a lot more of life than he did.
Peter and Sophia missed out too. It was utterly exhausting
and had a huge impact on our family as a whole. I wish I
knew then what I know now.
So when Peter was also recently diagnosed with an Autistic
Spectrum Disorder, we knew this was our chance to make
more informed decisions and quickly! Time really is of the
essence with ASDs and hindsight is a wonderful thing! I
decided that I would educate Peter and Sophia at home.
Peter had already been struggling with school and this would
give both of them and me some of the quality time we had
missed out on and for the foreseeable future avoid
commencing battle once more. If I was going to educate
them at home we had to make sure they had good social
opportunities. Sophia was already attending lots of groups
with her hobbies, but we had found it difficult to find
something that Peter enjoyed. Then I remembered his
comment about Kung Fu and searched the Internet for local
martial arts classes.
Peter started at Little P.U.M.A.s last November and it has
done more to address his symptoms in a few months than
any therapy or medication that Anthony had received in ten
years.
Social interaction is one of the biggest difficulties in children
with ASDs. Some show no interest in forming friendships
with their peers and elsewhere on the spectrum a child may
have the desire but not the ability, which can be more
frustrating. These social difficulties can affect their ability to
behave in a way that is socially acceptable. The ASD child
has difficulty understanding feelings and emotions,
especially those of others. The lack of awareness in these
areas makes these children vulnerable and often a prime
target for bullying. Teaching awareness of these issues will
take time and practising applying these skills to everyday
situations may take longer still. Unfortunately, when faced
10

with a stressful situation, an ASD child cannot stop, then
think, then react. They tend to just react. Taekwon-Do is a
good way to approach all of this because you won’t be
making a big deal of these issues. Often an understated
subtle approach is more effective. As far as the child is
concerned they are simply having a good time.
Little P.U.M.A.s was a great starting point because it was a
small group of children, with a small age range. The small
class provided Peter with a non-threatening environment
and one where it would be easier for him to concentrate with
fewer people and distractions. It was also easy for him to
have a sense of belonging, due to everyone wearing the
same uniform. For the first couple of sessions he didn’t join
in much but enjoyed watching. The following week when his
Dobok arrived he was straight in there and hasn’t looked
back. The Dobok also has the benefit of being comfortable
and loose. Some ASD children have a heightened sensitivity
to touch and some textures. Since he was a baby Peter has
only ever felt truly comfortable in pyjamas. This does
however cause some difficulty if we have to go out, as it can
take ages to persuade him into appropriate clothes!
Little P.U.M.A.s is a lot of fun whilst being educational at the
same time. The children work through different themes such
as focus, co-ordination, balance and teamwork - all areas
that ASD children can have difficulty with. Low self esteem
has been a worrying issue for me with both my sons. Sophia
has confidence in abundance, which helps me have a
measure to work towards with the boys. Peter was at Little
P.U.M.A.s for about four months before going up to the
juniors Taekwon-Do class. In that time he achieved his blue
star award and his bronze pin badge for attendance. In
addition he entered two categories at the southern
championships and did well, and also gained his purple belt
with credit. He now feels very proud of himself and with
regular opportunities for such achievements I know that his
belief in himself can only grow.
How wonderful for your child to be able to work through all
of these difficulties, without really knowing it and all in one
place. I can tell you it beats going to numerous appointments
that are seldom proactive. Parents are encouraged to stay
and watch what their child is learning, so we get to enjoy
many proud moments too, and can apply them to other
situations in life - they are reminders that he can do it and
has done it! We feel proud not only of our son but the whole
class. It is lovely to see how much respect there is and we
thank the instructors, assistants and students for making it
a happy and safe environment for everyone.
I am just a mum, not an expert, but I have been through
many different experiences with my family that I wish I hadn’t
had to. I can’t change Anthony’s past but I can at least show
him that I have learned from those experiences and that
there is always room for improvement by approaching the
future in a way that gives us a much more harmonious life
as a family together.
If your child has been diagnosed with a similar disorder I
would not suggest that you don’t take professional advice,
rather bear in mind that it is ‘advice’. Don’t underestimate
your instincts! Remember that you know your child better
than anyone. Children with ASDs are not all exactly the
same just because they have the same diagnosis. Nor are
we as parents. We all have strengths and weaknesses in
how we parent and sometimes we will get it wrong. Do talk
and share your experiences with others who understand
what you are going through, if you can. A truly empathetic
ear is a Godsend! It is hard work and often exhausting
parenting a child with an ASD, so don’t forget to look after
yourself too.
Taekwon-Do may not be right for all these children but it is
definitely worth considering or even trying for a while. I
honestly believe that the tenets, the principles and the
approaches used in Taekwon-Do have a direct benefit to
many of the symptoms of some Autistic Spectrum Disorders.
For us it means that we are living life enjoyably and because
positive experiences are far less exhausting than negative
ones, we all get the quality time we deserve.
Our family is now defined as harmonious (as a family can
get), normal (almost but not quite), and colourful (definitely)!
The names in this article have been changed to protect
anonymity.
11

Teaching,
Snowboarding,
Tooth Pulling
and Judo
Southampton Taekwon-Do student Matthew Collins gets
involved in Japan. Read all about his trials and
tribulations...
As I sat down to write this I wondered where to start! How do you
summarising two years worth of experiences? Well here goes…
sake, polite people, overly crowded, friendliness, awful English,
great food, fantastic snowboarding, awesome festivals, cute kids,
easy travelling, expensive vegetables, three different styles of
writing, lots of inquisitive stares, fascination with you being able
to use chopsticks, ignorance of foreign people, beautiful women,
and contradictions – everywhere! That’s just the start of it!
So there I was in July 2005, with a 100 litre rucksack, planning
on what I was going to need for up to five years! How on earth do
you pack for that and what the heck would I need? I had applied
for a teaching job on the Japanese Exchange Teaching (J.E.T)
programme back in September 2004 and after an interview at the
Japanese embassy in London I was accepted. The only teaching
experience I had was through P.U.M.A. and the youngest class I
taught regularly were aged twelve and thirteen. I now had to teach
English everyday at one middle and two primary, schools. Each
class would have an average of thirty Japanese kids. The
youngest class would be five year olds, the oldest would be fifteen
year olds but I would also teach every age in between.
Regarding Japanese language and culture, I was fully prepared!
I knew one to ten from a bit of Karate I did as a kid and had learnt
plenty from that great Japanese ambassador Mr Miagi (may he
rest in peace). I am also a big fan of The Beatles so I know a fair
bit about Yoko Ono. Bar the bit of Japanese / Korean history from
Taekwon-Do, and Hiroshima and Nagasaki obviously, that was it.
That was my entire knowledge of Japan! Still I wanted a challenge,
a chance to live abroad and an opportunity to study a martial art
in its native country. I was also eager to see whether I would want
to teach professionally. I really enjoyed instructing Taekwon-Do
and kickboxing but I wanted to see whether teaching it full time
would give me the same rewards, and most importantly the same
enjoyment, if I did it every day.
To be honest I was pretty naïve about the whole experience. I
had travelled on my own before, and my job, my apartment and
my tickets were all organised for me, so I thought it wasn’t going
to be that difficult. My Japanese experience was also going to
start with a three day conference in one of Tokyo’s top hotels –
it’ll be grand I thought – no worries. It was, but it took some getting
used to.
I arrived in Japan on 23rd of July 2005. It was hot and humid and
I was herded with around four hundred other new UK English
teachers to the Keio Plaza hotel in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The hotel
was certainly impressive, but I was tired and eager to find out
where I was going and what I was doing. The next three days
were organised to help answer those questions. Over 5,000 new
teachers from ten different countries attended the J.E.T seminars
and then socialised and saw Tokyo at night. It was pretty non-stop.
To be honest, by the third day, I was glad to be heading to my
prefecture!
Prefectures, or kens, are like counties in the UK. The one I live in
is called Tochigi ken. It is famous for strawberries and Nikko, a
world heritage site. That suited me because I like strawberries
and historical buildings. I was based in Tochigi city and although
the journey from Tokyo to Tochigi is just over two hours by train
there is little countryside or space between the two cities. The
difference however is huge. Tochigi is in what the Japanese call
the sticks, yet it still has 80,000 people. Although most of them
are just about staying out of their coffins, they are incredibly
welcoming and I was made a fuss of as soon as I arrived. The
city is not high-rise like Tokyo but a bizarre mix of traditional and
modern buildings, interspersed with the occasional wooden and
metal shack. It is rather drab and grey but an ideal location, as it
is very easy to travel to most places from Tochigi.
Tokyo can be accessed via a direct train and you can be on the
snowboarding (or ski) slopes within three hours. I am also very
lucky with my accommodation. By Japanese standards it is big.
It has two bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom and a lounge and is
less than ten years old. This is particularly reassuring as you can
feel earthquakes in Tochigi, once a month on average.
Arriving in Tochigi city I decided that I wanted to start an activity
as soon as possible. I was overly ambitious and found myself
getting up at 5am in the morning to join a Tai Chi class. I also
joined a Judo club which I went to up to four times a week. It didn’t
take many nights out to make those 5am mornings less than overly
inviting and as a result the Tai Chi went out the window! Still I
have continued with the Judo, and love it.
I was surprised when I first joined the Judo class at how relaxed
the atmosphere is. Many of the students turn up late and it is very
informal. This has actually worked to my advantage because the
mistakes I make due to my ignorance of the Japanese language
are politely ignored. Understanding the techniques in Japanese
is difficult, but my class mates are incredibly patient with me and
have made me feel very much at home. At the moment I am
training hard for my black belt which is on the 13th May 2007. It
consists of five fights and I must win three to achieve a brown
belt. If I succeed I will have five more fights and if I win three of
those I am awarded a black belt. All of the fights will be against
black belts, so I know it is not going to be easy. To try and improve
I am training at a local high school which was in the top ten
Japanese Judo schools last year. With the good teaching I am
learning quickly, but I need to: last week I was knocked out by the
instructor! It was my own fault, I didn’t want to tap-out during a
ground fight we were having, and I got the consequences. Still I
was okay and I think he took it easy on me for the rest of that
fight.
Matthew Collins (front left) and some local
Judo students
12

As I have spent longer in Tochigi I have begun to believe that
Japan is unlike any other country I’ve visited. I would describe
Japan as a land of contradictions. For example the Japanese are
incredibly particular about cleanliness. You take off your shoes
before entering most traditional restaurants and bars and put on
indoor slippers. You then remove the indoor slippers and put on
other slippers before using the toilet. This whole concept is to
separate clean areas from dirty areas. Of course after a couple
of beers it’s easy to forget this, especially when you have just
arrived! You then look like the stupid foreigner, walking around in
toilet slippers that usually have in huge letters the word TOILET,
to remind the stupid foreigners to remove them! Amongst this
atmosphere of cleanliness and order however you’ll find
disgustingly dirty sinks, no towels to dry your hands on and in
public toilets no doors between the urinals and the passers by!
Another anomaly is that Japan is one of the most technologically
advanced countries in the world, yet where I live none of my
students in the first year of middle school have e-mail addresses.
This is technological contradiction is reflected in Japan’s medical
facilities. In the big cities the Japanese medical practices are
ahead of the world. In Tochigi however it is like visiting the local
witch doctor. After two months of excruciating pain and visits to
four or five doctors I could no longer walk. I had been told I was
stressed, I had torn the ligaments in my knee and I had been given
injections into my spine all to no avail. On the 23rd of December
2006 I conceded to the pain and my friend called an ambulance
for me. Firemen turned up at my door (because the ambulance
crews were on holiday) and after five or ten minutes they worked
out how to get the stretcher into my apartment. They drove me to
the local hospital where they spent another twenty to thirty minutes
working out whether my name was Machu or Mato! Only after the
forms were filled in was I admitted and given pain killers. I spent
up to Christmas lunch time in hospital but I was so relieved to
finally get some proper pain relief, and sleep that this did not
bother me.
The doctors admitted they had no idea what was wrong with me
and so suggested I go back to England. The English doctors said
my back was so contorted with muscle spasm they could not find
the origin of the problem, but I was prescribed with high strength
pain killers and with physio and acupuncture I was soon walking
freely again. With my back condition improving I decided to return
to Japan. My English physiotherapist advised I continue with my
acupuncture and convinced me that the Japanese were the
experts because acupuncture originated in the orient. With the
confidence gained from this I went to an acupuncturist in my city
recommended by a colleague. He turned out to be aged about
500 and smaller than my five year old students! He had obviously
been the ‘Chief Inquisitor’ in the Japanese elite forces during the
war, a job I’m sure he thought he still held as the enemy (me)
walked through the door. It all started okay, with the standard
needles being stuck in my back and then electricity being run
through them, but he then asked whether he could burn me! At
least he asked I suppose! “Burn me?” I said, “What do you mean?”
I was struggling with the Japanese but luckily there was a lady
next to me who could speak some English. “It burns dried grass”
she said. “What does?” I asked. “This” she said pointing to her
ankles where the acupuncturist was now burning marks in her
skin. I could smell the burning flesh and saw what looked like
several old cigarette burn scars. “I’ll go without” I thought! After
denying him the opportunity to burn me, I was taken to the room
next door.
In a scene that would have fit into any Bond movie I was then
strapped to a bed. What I presume was an apprentice torturer
brought out what looked like a car battery. In front of me he
touched the ends of two leads that came from the battery and
sparks began to fly. He then put what I presume was a voltage
meter in front of me and in Japanese said that I should “shout”
when it was “too painful”. There’s a challenge I thought! He then
put jelly on my back, similar to what they use before an
Concentrate on this relaxing landscape. Don’t
read the rest of this page. It’ll only upset you.
ultrasound-scan, and whacked the two ends of the lead into it. I
snapped back, contorted as all the muscles in my body contracted.
I now knew what the restraining belts were for as my body was
thrown against them. Like a wet blouse the shock and surprise of
my body’s reaction made me “yelp” and the apprentice took the
wires off me. My body slumped to the bed and the apprentice
gave me a grin as if to say “Weak gaijin (foreigner) you only made
mark two on the scale!” That was when the competition began!
By the end of the treatment, if that is what you call it, the part of
my body that hurt the most was my jaws and fists. Each time the
wires were stuck into my back I ground and clenched them trying
to get higher up the voltage scale! I ended with a seven and must
admit I was relieved when he told me that I’d had enough for one
session. My reward was a nod of approval as the apprentice fired
sparks from the two wire ends as he left the room. You won’t be
surprised that I didn’t go back. Still to this day though, I do not
know whether it helped me or not, as my back problems have now
cleared up (touch wood).
You’d think I’d have learnt from the experience, but oh no! Only
one month ago, I went to the dentist with my first ever toothache.
The dentist said he needed to drill my wisdom tooth but I told him
not too bother because it was still mostly covered in gums and
brushing it was difficult. “Just take it out” I said hoping it would
remove the jaw and head aches I’d been experiencing for the last
three weeks. He double checked with me that I wanted it pulled
out, and I confirmed with him that I did. Knowing that wisdom teeth
can be problematic and that I was going to third world countries
in July, I didn’t need more problems with it then. He pulled out the
tooth and I asked whether I could have it. “Of course” he said as
he cleaned off the blood. “Wow, that’s big” I said “Oh no” he
answered, “just an odd shape.” This got me questioning things
and as I left I looked in the mirror. He’d only gone and pulled out
my molar! I have no fillings and had got my teeth checked in
February when I was back in England so I wasn’t overly happy. I
suppose at least I have a story to tell in my local when I get home.
13

Some of Matthew’s primary school students
Another massive contrast is between the young and old in Japan.
My generation of Japanese people are fascinated by the west,
especially America. They are incredibly eager to try out their
English but have a relatively small amount of English speaking
foreigners in their country to practise on. As a result if you are in
a problem or directly ask a young Japanese person for help, they
will normally go far beyond the call of duty. Young Japanese
people are generally incredibly friendly, consistently polite and
one of their biggest assets is that they avoid confrontation like the
plague.
Elderly people in Japan however can be the exact opposite. Many
are extremely traditional, and a minority, especially men, are
routed in a pre-war Japan with an empirical arrogance not unlike
Victorian Britain. Often when I sit next to a person of my parent’s
generation or older, on a rural train, they will get up and move
somewhere else. I do not think they do this to be rude, it is just
that the older generation, especially those from outside big cities,
have relatively little knowledge of foreigners. This is mainly
because Japan has only had true open international trade for
around 100 years and the Japanese public were only given
passports in 1968. People are wary of things they do not know
and I can understand how bigger, generally louder, foreign people
must be intimidating.
The extent to which foreign people are a novelty is however
subsiding as Japan welcomes more international tourists and
businesses. This trait is evident in big cities where foreigners are
no longer the main attraction on trains. In rural non-touristy areas
like Tochigi city, the progress is however slower. This is not helped
by barriers to racial integration in Japan being endorsed by the
government. A prime example of this is the classification of foreign
residents. When any foreigner arrives in Japan on a work visa like
I did, you are not given a certificate of temporary residency but
an ‘Alien Registration’ or ‘gaijin’ card. To many foreigners in Japan
this highlights the Japanese perception of gaijin’s, something
different or alien. I believe that the Japanese people are ignorant
of the way they categorise foreigners, and I think for most it is not
done with any malicious intent. There is a however strong minority
who, only last month were nationally campaigning that other Asian
and South American immigrants take their jobs and weaken their
gene pool. Every country has its extremists but when such ideals
are not publicly renounced there is little social pressure to change
them. As long as the Japanese public does not actively campaign
to change its perception of ‘gaijin’s’, foreigners will never be fully
integrated into Japanese society. I currently have friends who
have lived here over ten years, speak and write Japanese better
than some of the natives, have Japanese children and Japanese
wives, but because they look different, they will always be seen
as something alien. In Japan, if you look foreign you remain foreign.
Foreign influences are however flooding into Japan, and this is
drowning the splendid isolation that the country had experienced
for so long. Luckily this is eroding the predominant ideology of
pre-war Japan, that all other cultures and nations are inferior (part
of why Japan has such a marked history with Korea and China).
It has however left Japan torn between its classical, community
based Japanese culture, and the corporate, independent, mass
media culture of the west.
This huge gulf between grandparents and their grandchildren, and
the other contrasts I have highlighted shows the considerable
transition Japan is currently going through. A couple of months
ago I heard someone say “Japan is going through what the
western world experienced in the Sixties. It is changing
dramatically, and this is part of why I have found Japan so
fascinating. The ambiguities and quirks have really made my stay
here a challenge, but one that I have learnt so much from. I don’t
think that I will realise how much of an amazing place it is, and
how fond I have become of it, until I finally leave. I think it is the
people that make a country, and if so then Japan has to be one
of the best in the world. Don’t get me wrong, I’m dying to live in
a less claustrophobic environment again, but I’m going to miss
the snowboarding, I’m going to miss the food, I’m going to miss
my students and I’m going to miss my friends. It is certainly
somewhere I will always cherish and a place I hope to return to.
As for my next step, I am returning to England, but will not be back
training again until 2008. I am planning to teach English at a
summer camp in South Korea in August and I have an interview
for that position in May. If I am lucky enough to get accepted I will
start my travels back home in September. I am planning to travel
back overland through Mongolia, China, Tibet, India, Pakistan,
Kazakhstan and Eastern Europe. It should be a great adventure
and I hope to gain as much from it as I have from my time in
Japan.
I wish everyone in P.U.M.A. the best of luck and I look forward to
catching up with those of you who know me, and meeting those
of you who don’t!
Take care,
Matt Collins
The Golden Shrine in Kyoto
14

ITF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
August 2007: Birmingham marvels at the International Taekwon-Do Federation’s ninth
Junior and fourteenth Senior World Championships, hosted at the National Indoor
Arena. Team coach Daniel Lammin describes the build up to and execution of this
year’s finest martial arts event.
The turbulent build up to the 2007 World Championships
started back in March with the first of two selection
tournaments. On completion of this arduous process
almost fifty P.U.M.A. members were selected as part of
the England and Scotland teams. Due to the delays with
the selection process all competitors involved had to work
phenomenally hard over the last couple of months to
ensure that they were ready for what would be one of the
biggest World Championships in ITF history.
The girls’ and ladies’ teams spent the weekend prior to the
World Championships training five hours a day with
coaches Gary Bradshaw and Daniel Lammin to ensure
they were fully prepared for the team events. Then on
Monday the thirty-first of July they all headed down to
Birmingham along with the rest of Team UK and
competitors from all corners of the earth. Registration, the
weigh in and all of the draws took place on Tuesday and it
was at this point that it became clear just how many
competitors and countries had descended upon
Birmingham. At the final count over forty countries from six
continents had teams at the championships, making for a
truly international event. Over the course of the day the
nerves and anticipation started to build as everyone began
to realise the size of the task that lay over the four full
days of competition ahead.
After the opening ceremony and speeches, the
tournament finally got underway on Wednesday afternoon.
All of the patterns and sparring finals were scheduled for
Sunday but nevertheless there were still plenty of medals
on offer over the first three days. The juniors started
things off with P.U.M.A. and UKITF strongly represented
in almost every category. The junior team contained a
good mix of youth and experience with many of the
successful team from Australia being joined by a number
of students competing at this level for the first time. Chris
Randle, Mike Whitlock, Natalie McColl and Marie Udall all
performed superbly to reach the finals of their respective
patterns categories. England’s first medal was claimed by
Sonia Harris in the first degree patterns category, a
fantastic performance from someone competing in her first
world championships.
Jake Stevens was so dedicated he had this
done to the back of his head.
Phil Whitlock takes a low technique for our
amusement. Good Show.
Background image: Natalie McColl secures a decisive victory over Ireland.
15

With the junior patterns completed it was time for the
sparring and it wasn’t long before Jenny Francis, Marie
Udall, Jake Stevens and Bradley Jones acquired further
bronzes in their respective sparring categories. Laura
Penny, Kimberley Bradshaw, Natalie McColl and Adam
Gardener all went one better however, qualifying for the
finals.
Emma Deakin in action.
The junior female sparring podium: Laura Penny
with gold and Kimberley Bradshaw takes silver.
There was further success in the junior female special
techniques section with Natalie McColl winning silver and
Marie Udall a bronze, a second medal for each of them.
With the individual junior events completed it was the
adults’ turn and once again expectations were high for
further success. There were many good performances in
the patterns section with a number of the competitors
competing at their first world championships but the only
medal came in Ladies’ fifth degree patterns with Lucy Wolf
qualifying for the final where she would go on to earn gold.
After only one medal in the adult patterns, Team UK were
looking to get back on track in the sparring and did exactly
that. First up were the ladies where Emma Deakin and
Donna Murphy each claimed bronze medals. Emma later
added a second medal winning silver in the ladies power
test. Lea Fendt, Stacey Weatherer and Katrina Todd were
all superb, reaching the finals in their respective divisions.
For Stacey this offered the opportunity to go one better
than the silver that she won in Korea back in 2004. The
men also faired well and after a number of hard fights
Luke Hall and Gary McGuire both claimed bronze medals.
In the two heaviest weight categories Corey Kane and
Richard Belle fought superbly to progress through to the
finals.
Mike Whitlock demonstrates an unreasonably high
flying split kick.
With the individual events completed it was time for the
team events, which always serve to get the crowd going
as countries faced off against each other. The England
men’s team lost narrowly to eventual winners Ireland but
gained some consolation winning a bronze in the team
special techniques. The ladies also lost a close match
against Ireland but went on to claim silver in the team
power and a bronze in the special techniques. After losing
narrowly in the team sparring the Scotland men’s team
performed fantastically in the team power event, earning
gold after a very tough competition.
The boys’ team performed superbly to qualify for the finals
in both the sparring and patterns division. In addition they
earned silver and bronze in power and special techniques
respectively. Not to be outdone the girls’ team earned gold
in both power and special techniques as well as bronze in
the patterns. Like the boys’ team they qualified for the
sparring final giving them an excellent chance of claiming
the overall best team award.
16

Background image: Phil Whitlock bests Kevin
O’Brien with a mighty kick.
Sunday was finals day and expectations were high. The
outer rings were shut down, the lights were lowered and
all attention was focused on centre stage. Most of the
finalists were understandably nervous of what lay ahead,
knowing their dreams could be made or shattered in just a
few short minutes. As one of the coaches I cannot
express how proud I was of each and every one of them
and the way in which they performed.
David Murphy and the Scottish Men’s team:
destruction champions 2007. Plus Donna
Murphy, far right, with her sparring bronze.
All four junior patterns finalists lost close decisions but
after the initial disappointment all were still ecstatic to
have reached the finals and come away with silver
medals. In the junior sparring finals Adam Gardener and
Natalie McColl were both superb in claiming gold. This
was Natalie’s second medal of the day and third of the
tournament, an unbelievable performance from the 14
year old. The closest fight of the morning was between
two P.U.M.A. fighters, Laura Penny and Kimberley
Bradshaw, with the crowd giving massive support to both
of them. In the end it was Laura who emerged victorious
to go one better than her silver from Australia last year.
In the adults’ sparring Lea Fendt lost a split decision by a
single point in the ladies’ final but had every reason to be
proud of her performance in the final. Stacey Weatherer
fought fantastically in her final to avenge her defeat in the
team event and won a comfortable decision over her Irish
opponent to get the gold that she so desperately wanted.
In the last of the ladies’ finals Katrina Todd fought with
unbelievable heart to twice come from behind to win the
closest contest of the day after a one minute extension, a
fitting finish to the ladies’ individual events.
Claire Roughly performs Choong Jang.
Not to be outdone both Corey Cane and Richard Belle
won their respective finals. Richard Belle was particularly
impressive in defeating his Georgian opponent, who was
around six inches taller than him and bore a striking
resemblance to Ivan Drago 1 .
The final events to be decided were the team sparring and
patterns division. England’s boys lost narrowly in the
patterns final but gained a measure of revenge when they
won the sparring after 4 close fights. The girls also won
the team sparring final convincingly, winning their first
three fights with Kimberley Bradshaw and Laura Penny on
the same side this time. This was their third gold and
ensured that they were crowned overall best team.
To top off a fantastic week, Natalie McColl was awarded
the best overall junior female thanks to her gold and two
silver medals in the individual events, meaning she left
with 8 medals (including 4 team).
1
The big Russian in Rocky IV
17

UKITF RESULTS
(P.U.M.A. unless stated)
Junior Female Patterns
1 st degree: Natalie McColl (Silver)
Sonia Harris (Bronze)
2 nd degree: Marie Udall (Silver)
Junior Male Patterns
1 st degree: Chris Randle (Silver)
2 nd degree: Mike Whitlock (Silver)
Junior Female Sparring
Under 42kg:
Under 60kg:
Over 60kg:
Junior Male Sparring
Under 52kg:
Under 63kg:
Under 70kg:
Senior Female Patterns
Jenny Francis (Bronze)
Natalie McColl (Gold)
Marie Udall (Bronze)
Laura Penny (Gold)
Kimberley Bradshaw (Silver)
Bradley Jones (Bronze)
Adam Gardener (Gold – Wolf Acad)
Jake Stevens (Bronze)
5 th degree: Lucy Wolf (Gold – Wolf Acad)
Senior Female Sparring
Under 58kg:
Under 63kg:
Under 70kg:
Over 70kg:
Senior Male Sparring
Under 63kg:
Under 80kg:
Over 80kg:
Lea Fendt (Silver – GTI)
Donna Murphy (Bronze)
Emma Deakin (Bronze)
Stacey Weatherer (Gold)
Katrina Todd (Gold – Focus)
Luke Hall (Bronze - GTI)
Corey Cane (Gold – Wolf Acad)
Gary McGuire (Bronze)
Richard Belle (Gold – Wolf Acad)
Junior Female Special Technique
Natalie McColl (Silver)
Marie Udall (Bronze)
Senior Female Power
Emma Deakin (Bronze)
Junior Female Team
(Kimberley Bradshaw, Laura Penny, Marie Udall,
Natalie McColl (all P.U.M.A.) Jace McLaughlin and
Melanie Evans)
Sparring:
Gold
Patterns:
Bronze
Power:
Gold
Special Techniques: Gold
Junior Male Team
(Mike Whitlock, Jake Stevens (both P.U.M.A.), Matt
Brunger, Graham Pound, Reece Nicholls and Sam
Vernazza)
Sparring:
Gold
Patterns:
Silver
Power:
Silver
Special Techniques: Bronze
Senior Female Team
(Emma Deakin, Stacey Weatherer, Rebecca
Dearlove, Alex Page (all P.U.M.A.), Vicky Church
and Laurie Cornwell)
Power:
Silver
Special Techniques: Bronze
Senior Male Team
(England: Dave Pixton, Phil Whitlock (both
P.U.M.A.), Lee Hollingsworth, Paul Cain, Johann
DeSilva and Navdeep Rauli)
Special Techniques: Bronze
(Scotland: Gary McGuire, Adam Paterson, Scott
Morris, Mark McAdam (all P.U.M.A.), Peter Scott and
Gordon Divine)
Power:
Gold
Overall Junior Female Champion
Natalie McColl
Best Junior Female Team
England
The whole team would like to thank coaches Gary Bradshaw and Daniel Lammin as well as everyone else who helped
make all of the above possible. There are too many to mention them all but huge thanks must go to Master Gayle, Master
Ogborne, Master Wolf, Master Harrison, Master Harry and Mr Bertram for all their hard work in both the build up to the
tournament and whilst there, including coaching on the ring when needed. Finally I would like to thank all of those who
helped to officiate, including Mr Kevin McCabe and Mrs Lesley McGhie who were presented with outstanding official
awards. Hopefully Team UK can continue to build towards future tournaments including the next World Championships,
which will take place in Canada in 2010.
Background image: Natalie McColl in the Special Technique category.
Some photographs are courtesy of Steven and Martin Luker. Various photographs are courtesy of DE Photo. More photos
available to buy online at WWW.DEPhoto.co.uk
18

Have you taken part in Mr Weyman’s bo seminar and grading
yet? Don’t wait for one… ask your instructor about having one
in your area soon.
I invited Mr Weyman down to our South Hams Taekwon-Do
schools. Many of my students have dabbled with the bo (that’s
the long stick things that you see people hurling around and
clattering on the ground) but decided it best to learn it the proper
way: the Tang Soo-Do way.
So it was to be, a couple of hours of training in basic skills and
then we were asked if any students wanted to grade. One or
two thought they would. The rest of us thought we would not
bother.
But the day approached and crikey… After a proper introduction
from Mr Weyman we realised that there are many levels of Bo
training and obviously you could do not do one without the other.
Even better, we would get not only certificates of our grading
pass, but badges for our suits. Badges are a great incentive and
record of achievement for juniors, but as most of the seminar
was made up of adults, would they really bother about a badge?
Mmm, did I get that wrong. All of a sudden at the mention of
badges showing your level of bo achievements on your suit, and
much to Mr Weyman’s amusement, all the students including
adults decided that they would indeed grade. So yes, adults like
badges and symbols of achievements too. We even got excited
when they arrived in the post and were presented to all those
who passed.
But what did we do, to gain our new Jang Bong certificates and
badges?
Well, to reach level one and level two some basic handling skills
were performed (this is where the bos clattered lots and body
parts got in the way), some basic defensive and offensive
techniques were taught in line work and the first bo pattern was
taught. As mentioned, many of my students had dabbled in the
bo before so we reckoned it was going to be dead easy. Well
for a start changing our Taekwon-Do moves into Tang Soo-Do
moves proved to be a bit harder. The lower and longer stances,
differences in our footwork, and for some of us the re-introduction
of hip twist, meant that after a few hour’s training, boy… did we
ache! But not to put anyone off, we all thoroughly enjoyed
ourselves and are now mad keen. Our next training seminar and
grading are booked up and we are looking forward to learning
more patterns and even partner work too. Great!
So what am I saying to you all? Well, we were a bit laid back
about the whole bo thing, but now having realised that there is
a great bo syllabus that P.U.M.A. is able to offer all of its students.
With different levels to achieve, (and don’t forget our new badges
and certificates) I am now determined that people don’t miss
out.
So like I said at the very beginning, go and ask your instructor,
because it was really so much fun. Thank you Mr Weyman for
putting up with us.
Ms Lesley McGhie 3 rd degree – South Hams Taekwon-Do
19

Why are they important? By Mrs Tiina Yuseri, third degree black belt
and instructor of Hanham and Downend schools in Bristol.
As a student of Taekwon-Do I love my art, and as an instructor I am
privileged to have students that allow me to share with them what I have
learned.
During my thirteen years in Taekwon-Do I have learned how to kick and
punch and block, and I now teach my students how to kick and punch and
block almost every day. However, the most important lessons I have learned
in Taekwon-Do – those lessons that have made a real difference to my life –
have not been physical ones. The most important lessons I have learned in
Taekwon-Do have been through the five tenets.
I don’t think it is any coincidence that these tenets are the first chapter in
General Choi’s encyclopaedia, before any Taekwon-Do techniques are even
mentioned. These tenets lay out for us first and foremost what General Choi
intended to achieve through the art of Taekwon-Do and are just as much a
part of our training as the kicking and punching and blocking. Just as we
spend time practising our techniques in order to improve them, we also need
to practise the tenets.
A tenet is a belief, something you hold true. We may all be able to name the
five tenets (just in case we are asked at our grading), but being able to name
them is not the same as believing in them. What makes a tenet true is our
actions, and actions speak louder than words when it comes to standing up
for your beliefs. The tenets mean nothing if we just talk about them. To make
them real we need to put them into action, use them and believe in them.
Unfortunately, in today’s society, courteous and respectful behaviour seems
to be largely forgotten. Even within the world of Taekwon-Do I have
witnessed a lot of behaviour that does not reflect the tenets that all of us as
Taekwon-Do students should be proud to uphold.
I have seen black belts making fun of other students as they try to learn new
techniques. I have heard black belts speaking disrespectfully about fellow
students and instructors. Any student, but especially a black belt, acting in
this manner is in my opinion a disgrace to Taekwon-Do. The belt around your
waist is just a piece of cloth, and it is your actions and behaviour that actually
define who you are and will either earn or lose you respect. The tenets apply
to all students of Taekwon-Do, from a 10 th Kup beginner to a 9 th Degree
Grandmaster, and it is your observation of the tenets that will earn you a true
black belt regardless of the actual colour of the belt around your waist.
I have colour belt students that I have more respect for than some black belts
whose behaviour I have witnessed, and I can’t be the only person who feels
there is something seriously upside down about that! Shouldn’t a black belt of
any degree be a source of inspiration and insight to others?
This is something I feel very passionately about and I am keen to play my
part to ensure that the tenets of Taekwon-Do are upheld. I am not the only
person with ideas on this issue and I would be very interested to hear views
from other Taekwon-Do students. How do the tenets play a part in your life?
What can you do personally to observe the tenets? What are your own
personal tenets?
I also want to hear from you if you know someone who has done something
special that demonstrates one or more of the tenets, or maybe you have
done something yourself. Interesting stories may even be published in a
future magazine (with your permission).
Please e-mail me at hanhamtkd@tiscali.co.uk with your thoughts, ideas and
stories about the tenets. Please include your full name, grade, Taekwon-Do
school and instructor.
Until next time take a moment to think about what you can do personally to
ensure the tenets of Taekwon-Do are a part of your training, and talk to your
instructor about what you can do in your school. I look forward to receiving
your stories and ideas!
Taekwon!
The tenets of Taekwon-Do:
Courtesy
Integrity
Perseverance
Self Control
Indomitable Spirit
(Ye Ui)
(Yom Chi)
(In Nae)
(Guk Gi)
(Baekjul Boolgool)
“The success or failure of Taekwon-Do
training depends largely on how one
observes and implements the tenets of
Taekwon-Do, which should serve as a guide
for all serious students of the art.”
- General Choi
20

This form of pre-arranged sparring is practised by 4 th Kup (blue belts) and higher. As the name suggests, only one step is taken by the
attacker and only one attack is thrown. When blue belts first learn one step, it has firm guidelines as to the defensive techniques allowed
but this becomes more flexible for 3 rd Kup students and above. Here are the guidelines:
For all grades
4 th Kup
Both attacker and defender begin in parallel ready stance
(with the exception of 2 nd degrees, where the attacker
begins in L stance forearm guarding block).
The attacker must judge distance by eye (i.e. a measure is
NOT to be taken).
There must be no shout (or ki-hap) to forewarn that either
side is ready.
The attacker begins with a right hand technique and then
repeats on the left side.
Counter attacks should be limited to 1 technique only.
The defender must perform the counter attack on both
sides, i.e. one side must mirror the other.
The attacks used are the same as for 3 step sparring.
Therefore there are 6 routines for 1 step: walking stance
middle obverse punch; walking stance high obverse punch;
L stance middle reverse punch; L stance middle outward
knife hand strike; walking stance high obverse punch & L
stance middle reverse punch.
Distance must be judged by eye, and the same overlap of
the feet should be used as with 3 step sparring.
NOTE: the attacker steps on the outside for the 1 st attack
(as in 3 step) and also steps on the outside when performing
on the left side too so that the left attack is a mirror image
of the right attack.
The defender uses the same 3 step sparring defences and
counter attacks; first against a right attack and then against
a left attack.
Facing in parallel ready stance.
3 rd Kup
The attacks are the same as 3 step sparring.
This time, the defender can use any blocks from patterns
and any counter attack.
The defender should make sure that they finish in a proper
stance.
2 nd and 1 st Kup
No dodging or shifting is allowed.
The attacks are the same as 3 step sparring.
The defender can use blocks from patterns, or dodges/body
shifts. Any counter attack is permitted, but again, you must
finish in a proper stance.
21

Attacks for 1 st degrees
L stance reverse punch
L stance outward knifehand strike
Jumping backfist strike, landing in X stance (like in Yul-Gok)
Mid-Air strike (landing in L stance)
L stance obverse punch
All procedures are the same as for previous grades; you may
dodge/body shift; make sure you end in a proper stance.
Attacks for 2 nd degrees
Front snap kick
Side kick
Turning kick
Back piercing kick
Reverse turning kick
This time, the attacker begins in L stance guarding block and kicks from
the rear leg. All other procedure is the same as for 1 st degree.
Blocks from patterns:
deploying a w-shape block.
Some important points
1-step gives the student the chance to use some blocks from patterns
that may not have appeared in set sparring before; whilst inner forearm
blocks and outer forearm blocks are great techniques, think about all
the other techniques you could use: twin forearm block, double forearm
block, palm pushing block, upward blocks, downward blocks etc. etc.
There are also defensive kicks – if you know any, maybe you could
block with them.
The fact that we don’t shout to acknowledge we are about to attack
shouldn’t pose a problem; if the attacker uses correct knee spring and
attacks with the same rhythm as in the patterns and in the previous set
sparring routines, the defender will be able to pre-empt the attack
coming and react accordingly. Remember that set sparring is a
demonstration of distance, focus and knowledge of techniques and their
applications – set sparring isn’t reality self defence, so please don’t try
to catch you partner out! It’s an exercise in Taekwon-do teamwork!
1 st degrees should note that there needs to be some thought put into
distancing for the latter 3 attacks; the jumping backfist strike needs to
cover some distance (just like in Yul-Gok), so make sure you distance
yourself correctly. the Mid-Air strike also needs to cover some distance,
but not as much as the jumping back fist; one L stance length is the
correct distance to cover (more on this below); for the last one, you will
know that an obverse punch in L stance travels at a slight angle.
Attackers should therefore step slightly to one side before they begin
the attack.
2 nd degrees should similarly note that for turning kicks and reverse
turning kicks, you may need to either step to the side before you attack,
or step as you attack. If you decide to do a middle turning kick it will
usually be done to 45 degrees, so an appropriate angle is needed. If
you do a high turning kick, the target can be at 75 degrees, so a small
adjustment to angle may be needed or a further rotation of the hips.
Reverse turning kicks are always done to 75 degrees (i.e. very nearly
straight ahead) so again, rotate the hips properly or adjust the initial
angle.
An example of an inappropriate technique
for the target area. Don’t do this.
22

Mid-Air strike (Twio dollimyo taerigi)
A Mid-Air strike must involve a jump and spin; that is what a Mid-Air
strike is. It can only really be performed with outward knifehand or
outward backfist strikes, though an outward side fist could also be
used. For those of you who know (or have seen) the 2 nd degree
pattern Juche, you will have noted two jumping, spinning knifehand
strikes. These are Mid-Air strikes.
Simply jumping toward your partner and performing any hand
technique is not correct. I’ve seen people do flying punches before
(which are obviously punches and not strikes) as well as other
oddities. You need to jump and spin! You will also travel forward
slightly – one L stance length is the distance covered.
With that in mind, a Mid-Air kick (twio dollimyo chagi) is the correct
Taekwon-do terminology for a ‘jumping back kick.’
General Advice
1-step sparring is the first real opportunity to show the variety of
techniques that you know – one of the many ‘training secrets’ in
Taekwon-do is understanding the purpose of each movement.
We all at times think we know what a technique is for but often we
haven’t really thought about it or understood it.
For example, a palm pressing block (sonbadak noollo makgi) is
primarily for deflecting downward an attack to the low section (say a
front snap kick). But how many of you appreciate that the attack is
coming from a 45 degree angle? The same is true for inner forearm
circular block (an palmok dollimyio makgi). The attack is again a front
snap kick but coming at us from a 45 degree angle. So with these
two blocks, you need to be at an appropriate angle to the kick in
order to utilise the technique correctly.
Other examples include upward and downward blocks which are
used to deflect attacks to the mid section; rising blocks, whose aims
are to defend against downward attacks to the head; pressing blocks,
which prevent attacks to the low section; checking blocks, which
‘check’ or stop a technique in mid flow and prevent them from hitting
the desired target on your body, and so on and so forth.
Think about all the blocks and counter attacks you could use and
then pick 6 that work best for you for the 3-step sparring attacks and
pick 5 that work best for each of the black belt grade sequences. If
you are approaching a grading, make sure you have those 5 or 6
defences planned out in your mind. Don’t make it up on the day…
Prepare!
Utilising a traditional side
piercing kick as a counter-attack.
A technique used at
incorrect distance.
Are there any aspects of Taekwon-Do that you would
like me to investigate and divulge? If so, feel free to
contact me at tkd@cardiffmartialarts.com . I look
forward to your suggestions.
Kevin McCabe, 4th degree black belt, has trained in
Taekwon-Do for over 15 years. He is a member of the
P.U.M.A. management team as Technical Assistant. He
aids senior instructors with training duties at P.U.M.A.
camps and other events and also teaches technical and
pattern seminars. He trains under Master Ray Gayle and
teaches his own schools in Cardiff.
23

By Kirsty Oliver
Sports injuries - treatment and prevention
To understand why sports injuries occur, we must first have an
appreciation of the stress sport places on our body.
‘Overload’ is a key word in fitness training and is achieved through
the application of 3 Training Principles: adequate frequency,
intensity and duration of specific exercise.
Basically, this means that to achieve progression and adaptation
in strength and fitness goals, we must place stress on the body
using these 3 Principles. However, although the overload placed
on the body allows us to improve, sudden stress may exceed
acceptable limits resulting in injury.
Speed, poor technique and impact trauma are the most common
causes of injury, together with overuse caused through repetitive
trauma to the tissues over a period of time. A simple lack of fitness
is probably the greatest cause of injury, hence the saying ‘Get fit
to play sport, don’t play sport to get fit’.
So how can we relate this to martial arts?
Think about all of the various stresses your body experiences
throughout a Taekwon-Do lesson: the impact work on pads,
sparring, running on a hard floor in bare feet (knee/ankle impact),
moving limbs through extreme ranges of movement. How many
times have you kicked a little higher than you should have done,
and felt muscle strain for days after?
As mentioned above, overload can be a positive aspect for
progression, but if it is outside the capabilities of the body’s limits
then the risk of injury is increased.
There are three ways to classify a sports injury:
PRIMARY INJURY- This forms the main group of
injuries and occurs as a direct result of an activity. These
can be caused by an internal factor, action by the
individual such as straining a muscle. There is also an
external factor, whereby the individual has no control
over the action such as being punched or kicked.
SECONDARY INJURY- This is not directly linked to a
primary injury, but is caused by it. For example, an
individual suffers a severe ankle sprain, so the body
utilizes the strength and stability of the healthy ankle to
take on the extra workload that the injured ankle cannot
sustain. However, because the healthy ankle was not
designed to take on such an excessive stress, the
structure becomes overloaded, muscle recruitment
patterns are altered, and injury results.
NON-CONSEQUENTIAL INJURY- This is a medically
diagnosed condition or injury which is not caused
through sport but that impairs performance.
There are many factors that influence an injury, these include:
physical and psychological fitness, medical conditions, previous
injuries, body type, technique, environment, gender, warming
up/cooling down and adherence to instructions. These are to
name just a few.
So now that we have a basic understanding of how the soft
tissues of the body can be injured, it is equally important to
understand how the body heals itself, and how we should
implement treatment at the appropriate stage for repair and
long-term protection from re-injury.
The most typical injuries within martial arts are soft tissue such
as muscles, tendons and ligaments. These are the structures that
will be the focus when discussing the stages of repair.
There are many varying degrees of injury, ranging from a partial
to a complete tear. A partial tear involves up to 25% damage, a
moderate/severe tear involves approximately 50% damage, and
a severe/complete tear involves 50-100% damage.
Soft tissue goes through three phases when the body is repairing
an injury: inflammation, repair and remodelling. Each phase lasts
for a specific time and the treatment applied to the injury is
dependent on which phase the injury is in.
The Inflammatory phase is immediately after the injury has
occurred, and can last from 24-48 hours. During this stage, the
body is trying to protect itself from any further damage, so the
local area becomes very swollen and immobile. It is very
important at this stage that the ‘R.I.C.E’ (Rest, Ice, Compression,
Elevation) treatment is delivered. Contrary to popular belief, ice
is the crucial element to apply, not heat. The goal is to reduce
swelling as quickly as possible.
After 48 hours has passed, the injury enters the repair phase,
which lasts approximately 3-21 days. At this point, there is a
window of opportunity to deliver treatment that will determine how
successful the repair will be.
Soft tissue is made up of fibres that run in the direction of
24

movement, i.e. the quadriceps run longitudinally with the leg. This
allows for bending and lengthening of the limb. So when an injury
occurs, the body will start to lay down new fibres in the direction
of the stress imposed, normally in a haphazard manner, and not
necessarily in the direction of normal movement. (Imagine a ball
of elastic bands!) So, if the new fibres do not run in the same
direction as the healthy fibres, then typical range of movement
will be impaired.
This is how re-injury can occur at a later stage, unless the proper
treatment is given.
At this stage, the crucial element of rehabilitation would be to
re-establish normal range of movement through flexibility and
stretching exercises. Sports Therapy treatment would also be
essential to encourage blood flow to the muscle, thus
encouraging the fibres to lay down in the appropriate direction.
When this is achieved, strengthening exercises can be introduced.
The third and final stage is the Remodelling phase, which can
last between 21 days and 2 years. During this stage, the new
fibres become taut and the scar tissue shrinks. The fibres
continue to reorganise themselves in line with the stress imposed.
Again, Sports Therapy would have a crucial role in repair to help
breakdown the scar tissue. Flexibility is still also a key element
of this phase, and should continue to be an integral part of the
individual’s long-term training regime.
“Prevention is better than cure”
So how can we prevent the injuries from occurring in the first
instance? By strengthening and stabilizing the muscles and
ligaments surrounding the joints. If these structures are strong
stable and flexible, then injury likelihood is decreased.
Resistance training is always an advantage for bone and muscle
density, thus increasing joint stability. Flexibility training enables
muscles to move in a full range of movement, while limiting the
possibility of rupture.
Taekwon-Do and Kick Boxing are very demanding activities that
requires a substantial amount of physical exertion. To maximise
your potential in training, it is essential to supplement your fitness
regime with specific exercises, to enable your body to meet the
demands of the sport.
All information has been researched by the National
Academy of Sports Medicine, and the American
College of Sports Medicine.
Kirsty Oliver has been training for 10 years, and is a 1st Degree Black Belt at Itchen Club in Southampton.
She works for David Lloyd in Worthing, West Sussex. Her qualifications include Premier Diploma in
Personal Training and Sports Therapy, NASM Level 3 Personal Trainer, NASM Junior Athletic
Conditioning, and RSA Exercise To Music Instructor.
25

I suppose I should start with the first full contact show in March
2006. But that would be unfair because only featuring those full
contact shows and the fighters who parade their skills there
count for less than 1% of the Kickboxing student base of
getting on for 1000 members, ranging from 6 years up to late
fifties and even sixties.
P.U.M.A. kickboxing started pretty well straight after September
1 st 2000, admittedly not to the same standard as we have
today, nevertheless before the end of that year myself and Mr
Houston had definitely started very unorganised sessions, that
consisted of people dressed in T-shirts and trackie bottoms
running round in circles and sweating a lot, with a vague idea
that we were doing something slightly different to Taekwon-Do.
When in reality speaking for me all I was really doing was my
beloved Taekwon-Do without the Korean and patterns etcetera.
I’d seen a couple of boxing bouts on TV. It can’t be that hard
can it? Well take it from me it was. A year or so later P.U.M.A.
organised a course with the WKA where we as Instructors
could learn how to be Kickboxing Instructors… Hmmm, good
idea in principle but it didn’t really work out that way at all. Yes,
we were certified to teach Kickboxing and given a lovely WKA
manual. Problem was we went off and did it in our own different
ways. So chaos ensued as one instructor would teach a
roundhouse kick with a straight leg, one would teach it with a
bent leg, one technique would use the hips another wouldn’t,
and so the list went on.
P.U.M.A. kickboxing gradings as we know them today started in
2003. Master Gayle along with the other grading examiners
came along to officiate. In 2004 it was decided that some of the
more senior kickboxing instructors could also officiate at the
gradings and within a year Miss Maria Murray, Mr David Harper
and Mr Chris Walker were installed as P.U.M.A. kickboxing
grading examiners, along with the original examiners.
By this time P.U.M.A. had given me the responsibility to
oversee all things kickboxing, so along with the help of Miss
Murray and Mr Mark Kell we set about improving the syllabus
into what it is today. This was a long job and whilst the coloured
belt syllabus was completed some time ago the black belt
syllabus has only recently been finalised.
I think we got up to around the summer of 2005, when people
started to want to get involved in competition as the perception
was that the P.U.M.A. competitions were aimed more at
Taekwon-Do and Tang Soo-Do. This by the way was never the
case as Kickboxers have always been both welcome and
successful at P.U.M.A.’s many tournaments, however we
explored the different options open to us. So we came up with
a specific bi annual kickboxing championship in boxing rings
but fought with a great degree of control, which have since
become very entertaining for all involved. There would be far
too many people here to list who’ve won over the past two
years, so please forgive me, you know who you are.
In winter 2005 we were invited to attend an inter-club
tournament in Bournemouth for our fighters who wanted to get
involved in the full contact scene, so we took along 7 or 8
fighters along, not really knowing what to expect. To my
surprise the guy running the inter club, who also promotes
some of the biggest shows in the UK said P.U.M.A. has some
really good up and coming talent. “Yeah, nice words but does
he really mean it?” I cynically thought. Well to prove me wrong
we got a call inviting Mark Townley, Eric Laffin, Karen Stokes
and Sam Spinney to fight at the next 1500 seat capacity show
in Bournemouth.
Well I’ll tell you I was not only excited but so proud to have
someone at the top of the sport reward P.U.M.A. with this
opportunity. We’ve never looked back since. The next few
chapters will try and inform you of as many of the shows and
fighters as possible. If I’ve missed any please accept my
apologies.
March 2006 Bournemouth:
(All 3 x 2 minute rounds full contact)
Mark Townley v Kevin Hayward
Kevin was a highly skilled individual, but Mark performed
superbly to come away with a win on points.
Eric Laffin v Rob White
Rob had never lost before, and to be fair to him looked
like he wouldn’t lose this one until Eric pulled off a
superb right hand that floored Rob, who after the fight
said he’d never been knocked down before. There was
going to be a re-match unfortunately Rob pulled out, I
wonder why??
Karen Stokes v Laureen Leete
Karen had fought this girl a few months earlier in the
relaxed inter-club as mentioned earlier, and to be honest
had been beaten by the very leggy opponent, who
clearly thought she was going to do it again on the full
26

contact front, this however was the real thing and Karen
did the business. She totally out muscled her still very
leggy opponent and won on a clear points decision.
Sam Spinney v Britt Mardal
For me, Sam put up the best performance of the night
against her vastly more experienced opponent. Sam had
trained to fight 3 x 11/2 mins as opposed to 3x2, you might
say well it’s only 30 seconds each round. When it’s your
first fight against an extremely talented opponent 30
seconds is a lifetime. Sam fought out of her skin, but was
stopped before the end of the third round, Sam if you’re
reading this you’re a star!
June 2006 Weston-Super mare:
Ollie King v Gary Bettle
This was Ollie’s first fight against a more experienced
opponent, who had a big home support; Ollie came out as
if he’d been doing it for years. The massive power
advantage that Ollie had clearly told on his more
experienced opponent, with Gary having to drop to the
canvas on several occasions. Decision points win for Ollie.
July Rochester Last man standing
After Mark Townley’s impressive win in Bournemouth, he
was catapulted into an 8 man lightweight contest, with 7
other top class lightweights; unfortunately Mark lost the
first fight to the eventual winner. Later in the year Mark
also got a really bad decision in a show up in Nottingham,
even his opponents supporters booed the decision.
September 2006 Aveley, London:
Ollie King v Ollie Green
Ollie’s second was by far his most frustrating performance,
he was fighting at a different weight and was continually
tied up by his opponent in the clinches, and the result on
the night was a draw, which on reflection was the right
decision.
Andy Riches v unknown opponent
Unfortunately for Andy this ended within the first 20
seconds. Andy was caught cold with a barrage of attacks
that ended his first fight sooner than he’d hoped.
Paul Haworth v unknown opponent
Great win on points for Paul, who had a great following
from the Gravesend MASSIVE!
October 2006 Bridgewater:
Karen Stokes v Zoe Mason
Zoe comes from one of the best gyms in the UK, and gave
Karen a really good close fight. This fight as with all the
others on the show was in a small ring, but the
atmosphere was electric. Karen made it 2 out of 2 with a
points win.
he was caught with some strong kicks, which put him
down to the canvas. The fight was awarded to his
opponent.
November 2006
Karen won her 3 rd fight against a tough opponent in
Brighton and Ollie won his rematch with Gary Bettle in the
octagon in Weston. This fight was over 5 rounds and
secured the IKF English title for Ollie. We also had a
debutant Kevin Payne knockout his opponent to secure his
first win.
December 2006 Bournemouth:
Eric Laffin v Unknown opponent
Good fight for Eric, lasted the distance well, but lost on
points. Eric will be fighting in Bridgewater in a week’s time
and is looking to get back on the winning track.
Mark Townley v Scott Rowley
This was the fight that Mark had been waiting for: a 5
rounder for the southern area title. Scott set a frantic pace
right from the start, he clearly knew that he couldn’t give
Mark any time to relax and get into his rhythm. Scott came
out a winner on points and also claimed the fighter of the
night award.
February 2007 Weston:
Kevin Payne v Unknown opponent
Unfortunately for Kevin he’d lost too much weight before
the fight and was approximately 6 kilograms lighter than
his older and more experienced opponent who claimed a
stoppage in the second round. However Kevin has a
brilliant attitude, and vowed straight away to be back for
another success.
Ollie King v Rob Taylor
On paper this was by far Ollie’s toughest fight. It was for
the vacant British title over 5 2 minute rounds. Rob Taylor
has an excellent record and an impressive array of
weaponry at his disposal. The fight was a cracker, first
going one way and then the other. If you’d have seen the
fighter’s faces after you’d have been convinced that Ollie
had won it, Rob’s face was a mess! But like they say,
never judge a book by its cover. It was definitely Ollie’s
closest fight which he thankfully won to make him the new
champion.
Win or lose my admiration and congratulations go to all the
people above. They’ve shown immense character and spirit as
well as skill in large amounts. If anybody else wants to have a go,
contact myself on malcolmjones@puma-uk.com and come to
fighter training in Salisbury and …well, who knows?
Take care till next time.
Eric Laffin v Unknown opponent
Eric was up for this fight and it showed with an opposite of
his first fight were he was behind. This time he skilfully out
fought his opponent until the start of the third round where
27

By Steve Weyman, P.U.M.A. Tang Soo Do Coordinator
In this edition of the magazine we guide you through Bong (Bo) Pattern 3 (Bong Hyung Sambu), including pictures. This should be
used as a reference to the overall pattern, as it would be impossible to show some of the bong movements (twirls) in between some of
the moves. If you want to learn all the Bong Patterns correctly I would suggest that you attend the Bong syllabus seminars currently
going around in different areas. If you have any questions relating to the Bong or seminars feel free to contact me on 07837414798 or
email sweymantangsoo@hotmail.com .
STANCES
Ready Stance (choon bee jaseh): Feet are one shoulder width
wide. Hands are 6 to 9 inches apart on Bong.
Front Stance (walking stance): Feet are one shoulder width
wide and two shoulders width long. The front knee is pushed
further forward than Taekwon-Do walking stance.
Back Stance(similar to rear foot stance): Heels are in a
straight line (front to back) with feet in L shape. Approximately
80:20(rear/front) weight distribution, with front heel off floor.
Horse stance (sitting stance): Feet two shoulders width apart
facing out 45 degrees. Sit as low as possible whilst keeping your
back straight.
POWER
Power is obtained by use of hip twist (Not Sine Wave) when
possible and by sharp movement of the Bong.
Pattern Steps
1 Ready stance (Choon Bee Jaseh). 2 Turn left 90 degrees (Look first) into left
leg front stance (walking stance) while
performing left low block.
3 Same stance, perform double (two
handed) high block.
4 Pull Bong sharply to chest while
performing high front snap kick with
right leg.
5 Immediately step forward with kicking
leg into right front stance, while
performing right high temple strike.
6 Maintain stance, immediately follow
with a left high temple strike.
28

7 Turn clockwise 180 degrees into right
front stance, while performing right low
block.
8 Maintain stance, immediately perform
double (two handed) high block.
9 Pull bong sharply to chest while
performing a high front snap kick with
the left leg.
10 Immediately step forward with kicking
leg, into left leg front stance and
perform a left high temple strike.
11 Maintain stance, immediately follow
with a right high temple strike.
12 Turn left 90 degrees (look first), into left
front stance and perform a left low
block.
13 Step right leg forward into horse stance
(sitting stance) and perform a right high
block.
14 Turn anti-clockwise 270 degrees into
left front stance and perform a left low
block.
15 Immediately jump in place into a right
leg forward sitting stance
simultaneously performing a right high
block with kihap.
16 Turn anti-clockwise 270 degrees into
left front stance and perform a left low
block.
17 Step your right leg forward into a horse
stance and perform a mid section
spear strike (bong parallel to floor).
18 Turn Left 180 degrees into left front
stance and perform a left low block.
29

19 Step your right leg forward into a horse
stance and perform a mid section
spear strike (bong parallel to floor).
20 Turn left 90 degrees (look first) into left
front stance and perform a left low
block.
21 Step your right leg forward into horse
stance and perform a right high block.
22 Turn anti-clockwise 270 degrees into
left front stance and perform a left low
block.
23 Maintain stance and immediately
perform a double (two handed) high
block.
24 Maintain stance and pull the bong
down to chest level, performing
downward two handed block.
25 Maintain stance and immediately
perform a right high temple strike.
26 Followed by a left high temple strike
(still maintaining the same stance).
27 Perform a right leg side kick.
28 The kicking leg steps down then pivot
180 degrees anti-clockwise,
simultaneously performing a left low
block in a back stance.
29 Slip the left leg forwards from back
stance to walking stance, while
performing left high strike to the temple
with a kihap.
30
30 Bring your left leg back into ready
stance (Choon Bee Jaseh).

We’ve had an amazing number of jokes sent in over the summer holidays, so here are our favourite ones. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did. Let the fun commence...
Baaa-bados
A lon.
Swine lake.
Finland
Sting Kong.
At the end of giants’ fingers.
A cheetah
A kipper.
“You should practise more then.”
Snap
A Mars Baaa.
Shark infested custard
A laser-powered banana
A canary with a machine-gun
They toast the bride and groom.
Planet Of The Grapes.
One weighs a steak,
the other stays awake.
Mice crispies.
She was a little hoarse.
They have a baaa-baaa-cue.
A Baaa of soap.
The bogeyman.
“Whale meat again...”
What a fine and unusually long collection of jokes that
was. Remember though, the next magazine has to be every
bit as funny as this one. We can’t do that without your
help, so email your best jokes and puns to
and see your joke and name in
print! Our team is waiting.
We have a problem! The Mightiness Institute of Great Britain has lost some of Mr
Malcolm Jones’s membership details due to a poor data backup strategy, so now
he has to retake his M17-C mightiness certification. Mr Jones has travelled back in
time to mythical Greece to slay the feared Minator and satisfy the assessment
board. Can you guide him through the labyrinth to the monster?
31