Everyone remember why we go to tournaments and when we are standing in the same room as everyone else we are the same. We have all trained hard and we all want the same thing and have that same dream. 

Yesterday master was saying how his fighter was giving her heart and giving her all and she should have won.. But we are all the same. We all give it our all and dedicated our lives to this… we take our time money and heart into this and he disrespected everyone in their because w... Read More

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This time yesterday I was furtively changing in a boys toilet wracked with nerves ahead of my forthcoming grading.

The boys toilet thing was very accidental - it was in a hall I'd never been to before and there was no sign on the door saying men's/women's or whatever. I saw the urinals and thought maybe it was a mixed area...

Turns out it wasn't but no-one saw me and I saw no-one so that was one trauma out of the way.

Moments later I was called to the front desk by o... Read More

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Last night was my last training session before my next grading on Saturday for my green tag (7th kup). It wasn't supposed to be: I'd been hoping to train tomorrow, but I have a work shift 200 miles away so I'll have to give it a miss.

The session went well - I'm happy enough with my linework although I wish my pattern (Dan Gun) was a bit crisper, and my Korean terminology was fairly good...

But now I'm starting to feel nervous. It's ridiculous, I know - physical harm is not a re... Read More

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What was the best thing you ever did?

That was one of the topics on a national radio phone-in show this morning. One guy said it was leaving England for Sweden - he loves England, he said, but he loves the quality of life in Sweden more... and his Swedish girlfriend.

For someone else, it was having cosmetic surgery on her eyellids to stop them being so droopy.

Another guy said tracking down his dad's family in Poland.

And it got me thinking. What is the best thing... Read More

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Step a little closer to the window and I'll show you a snapshot of my world.

I'm 28 years old and in the middle of one of the most turbulent times of my adult life.

Just under a year ago I restarted taekwondo after the best part of 12 years away. On paper, I had a great job - a good salary, opportunities to learn new skills and I was making headway into my dream of becoming a broadcaster. But I was in a bullying environment and I hated it.

My first lesson back w... Read More

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