Latest News
All classes run out of purpose-built facility, located in Griffithstown, Pontypool, and train under the instruction of Master Jo Draper and Alastair Eustace - for further details please call 01495 769104 or 07833 910281.
30/05/07 Medal Success at Southern Taekwondo Championships!
Congratulations to our very own instructor Alastair Eustace for winning a silver medal in the -72kgs Experienced category at the Southern Taekwondo Championships, held in Bournemouth on Sunday the 5th of May. Please visit our website www.fightingfitgym.com| and click on the "News" page in the Martial Arts section of the site for a link to read the article in full.
12/05/07 More Tenant Badges Achieved!
Congratulations to Joseph Pugh and Kris Ralph for achieving a tenant badge for outstanding actions! Keep it up guys, we hope to see the badges worn proud on your suits next week!
3/05/07 Fighting Fit Featured On BBC Website!
The Welsh WTF Taekwondo Association and Fighting Fit Gymnasium were featured in an article on the BBC website about how we developed and our role in the community. Please visit our website www.fightingfitgym.com| and click on the "News" page in the Martial Arts section of the site for a link to read the article in full.
New Progress Cards and Attendance Cards released for students!
Our new attendance cards and weekly task cards have been handed out this week (19/04/07) to students as part of new "life skills" syallbus. The cards are to be brought to class once each week so that they can be inspected by instructors, ensuring they are kept up to date. On top of this, our new "Tenants of Taekwondo" badges were displayed this week also.The badges will be awarded to students who display positive actions, that encompass the meaning of one of the 5 Taekwondo Tenants, in their day-to-day activities. Sam Banton was the 1st student to be awarded an "Integrity" badge, which he can now where with pride at every lesson! Well done Sam keep it up!
Grading Success for Welsh WTF Students!
Congratulations to all the Welsh WTF students who successfully passed their recent grading! The grading was held in the Fighting Fit dojang, in front of parents and other onlookers on Wednesday the 7th of March 2007. As parents watched on, the students kicked, punched and fought their way through one of the toughest grading examinations held so far. With an extra emphasis placed on students knowledge of Korean terms and many students now entering the senior grade ranks, the bar was raised for the students, all of whom stepped up to the challenge on the day. The result was another clean sweep of successful passes from the Welsh WTF Taekwondo Dragons! Congratulations!
Competition results
Competition Success for Players at ChungdoKwan Nationals!
On Saturday the 17th of February 2007, three new and upcoming Welsh WTF Taekwondo Players stepped up to the challenge and competed at the Chungdokwan National Championships, held in Berkshire, Reading.
Marianne Woodcock, John Cregg and Tom Lovett flew the Welsh WTF Flag amongst a small but experienced collection of Taekwondo Fighters, all there hunting for the elusive Gold medal and to be crowned National Chungdokwan Champion 2007.
First up was Tom Lovett, an inexperienced but very talented fighter with bags of potential. This was only Tom’s second time in the competition arena, but he refused to let such formalities phase him, convincingly winning his first match and vastly outclassing his opponent. His category was small, and his initial win put him straight into the final against a far more experienced opponent. Never beaten until the final bell rings, Tom fought tooth and nail until the last seconds of the final round, narrowly missing out to the better fighter on the day, but giving him a good run for his money nevertheless. A silver medal hung from Tom’s neck as the day drew to a close.
Marianne Woodcock followed, representing the fierce and fiery female Welsh WTF members. This was Marianne’s first competition experience, and any average individual would have expected a cautious approach at best. Not Marianne however, who, filled with passion, enthusiasm and anticipation, went in with all guns firing against an opponent twice her height and weight. A dynamic and entertaining bout followed, with Marianne missing out on a victory by just 1 point, but walking off with a medal nonetheless and a fistful of experience, standing her in good stead for her next upcoming competition.
John Cregg was the final Welsh WTF player of the day, and faced an opponent with a vast amount of experience and ability. Again, this was only John’s second time in the WTF arena. John fought well, but the draw on this day did him no favours, with his opponent taking the lead in the first round. After a brief consultation with his coach, John’s game plan altered slightly, leaving his opponent unable to dominate as he had done only minutes earlier. John applied his strategy, and despite being unable to claw back points lost in the initial rounds, he took his opponent’s game plan away, upsetting and frustrating him whilst John gained experience in how to turn the tables on your opponent in spite of the situation you find yourself in.
All in all, a good day was had by all, with the 3 players walking away with a lot to work on and a lot still to learn, but with head’s held high and plenty to look forward to in the future. Bring it on Bournemouth May ’07!!