Apart from spending loads of time with my family and boyfriend, TKD gets a look-in in my festive celebrations - well come on, it's as much a part of my life as work or my family.

I'm currently at work (at 7.30pm on Xmas Eve - I'll still be here til nearly 10 then I can drive 85 miles to my mum's) but it's quieter than I ever imagined - there's simply no sport happening until Boxing Day (Dec 26th). It's a slow shift but it means I can slope off to the loos and practice my patterns every... Read More

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And the verdict is.... I passed! So I'm now a green belt :)

It's been a bit of a whirlwind from green stripe to green belt with the gradings coming so fast on the back of each other but it feels good knowing I'm there and through the other side a green belt. And I got another A pass. Yay!

In our system we have fail, borderline, pass, plus pass and A pass, which is the highest. I think it's good to always have something to aim towards so you're trying to finesse and perfect, rath... Read More

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You'd think by grading number four, I'd have got a handle on them there grading nerves.

But 28 hours ago I was sat on the floor of our dojang taking deep breaths having been suddenly poleaxed by nerves...

Bizarrely though, I ended up being called up not once but twice before my test... and though I was kind of dreading it, it did make it easier when it was finally my turn.

So this was it... my chance to hit green belt. It was my fourth grading since my return to... Read More

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Why do some people insist in taking the lead when lining up?

Maybe it's just a guy thing, but I've noticed quite a bit in the last few weeks how certain people assume themselves to be better than others, when quite often they're not.

When lining up, as with most schools, we start with the highest rank student in the front right position, with everyone else filling in according to rank from right to left.

This normally is not a problem, but there have been a few interesti... Read More

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I've been back training for a year now and it's been a crazy life-changing year at that.

I've gone farther in my career than I ever thought realistic, I've lived in one of the biggest capital cities in Europe and I have a totally different body shape.

And one of them is solely down to taekwondo.

I wasn't very fit when I started back. I remember coughing and gasping for air during my first lesson and being totally embarrassed by it - it was only the warm up!

A year... Read More

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