Taekwondo Chungdokwan Great Britain (TCGB)

Dear Instructors/Members,

I am pleased to announce that I have successfully passed the Kukkiwon 1st Class Master Course in Muju, Korea. I would like to thank TCGB for the support and encouragement to undertake this training course. This accomplishment shows how far we have progressed and the recognition achieved as an association.

I am the first TCGB member to have attained this qualification and would encourage Instructors within our group to take up this challenge. The course comprised of self-defence, sparring and poomsae sessions. Lectures included the history of Taekwondo, philosophy and teaching methods.

It is important to set personal goals, within realistic timescales, so that we have a sense of achievement and also feel good about ourselves. TCGB are currently making plans for the All-In-One Seminar next month (26 October, Swanmore). Keep exercising, keep fit and I look forward to training with you at this long-standing event.

Thank you again for your support and hard work. May we continue to train hard together and enjoy the challenges and learning that Taekwondo presents.

Grandmaster Mark Biddlecombe
TCGB President

Congratulations to all successful candidates at the TCGB Dan Grading in Kingston last weekend!

A short report from Southampton University Taekwondo Club (SUTKD) Instructor, David Honey on the club’s 40th anniversary celebrations.

—

Congratulations to Southampton University Taekwondo Club (SUTKD) on celebrating the club’s 40th anniversary (1979 – 2019). On Saturday 11th May 2019, the club held a special training session, bringing together past and present students and instructors as well as members of our wider association (TCGB) to celebrate this wonderful milestone.

Dear Instructors/Members,

The TCGB Pre-Dan Grading Seminar on Sunday 26^th May (tomorrow) will cover one-step, self-defence, breaking and poomsae. All 6th Dan and above instructors within the association will be expected to attend the Seminar and instruct. High grades who are testing will not be asked to teach. Please inform the TCGB Secretary (Natalie) or myself if you are available to help.

The seminar will be led by Grandmaster Lindsay Lawrence and I. Thank you!

Grandmaster Mark Biddlecombe,
TCGB President

Dear Instructors/Members,

Wow – what a fantastic day we had celebrating the 75^th anniversary of Chungdokwan (1944 – 2019). Thank you to those that attended the special celebrations and thank you to our members for your continued support.

The special event included a training seminar led by Grandmaster Byeonghyun Shin of Chungdokwan Korea, followed by a celebratory dinner at a Korean restaurant. The dinner included speeches by Grandmaster Shin and I, with gifts of appreciation handed out to the TCGB Committee for all their exceptional hard work.

To conclude the evening, there was a karaoke party – great fun! Among others in attendance, Grandmasters Shin, Lawrence and I all took turns with the microphone. I believe our Taekwondo is better than our singing.

All in the spirit of Taekwondo.

Grandmaster Mark Biddlecombe,

TCGB President

We look forward to welcoming you to the seminar with Grandmaster Byeonghyun Shin of Chungdokwan Korea this weekend – don’t miss out!

Thank you to everyone that supported the TCGB National Championships 2019 – a celebration of 75 years of Chungdokwan.

Well done and thank you to all poomsae and kyorugi competitors, coaches, officials, volunteers and spectators. It honestly couldn’t have happened without you. There were wonderful poomsae performances, spirited sparring contests and many friendships made and renewed over the two days.

We hope you enjoyed the event and we look forward to seeing you soon, starting with the seminar on Saturday 13th April led by Grandmaster Byeonghyun Shin!

Poomsae team results:

Kyorugi team results:

Dear Instructors/Members,

Thank you to everyone that attended the TCGB National Championships 2019 in Bracknell last weekend. Without your continued and loyal support, the Championships would not be successful and enjoyed by everyone, year after year.

A special thank you to the TCGB Tournament Committee for all the hard work in the organisation and running of the event. Personally, I cannot take any credit for this excellent work as I am not part of the Tournament Committee. However, I am currently working and aiming to conduct a special Instructors and high grade (black belt) “Training Day” in the summer. News of this event will follow at a later date.

I would also like to thank those that helped out with the running of the tournament over the two days, particularly officials (referees and judges), volunteers, first-aid and the TCGB Committee members. A huge well done and thank you to you all.

Well done to all the competitors. I hope you enjoyed taking part and gained valuable experience for future events. I also hope you all liked the new design of the medals. This change was to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Chungdokwan – a wonderful achievement!

On a slightly different note, it was really nice to see many TCGB Instructors at the competition and I really appreciate the nice comments surrounding my recent 8th Dan Kukkiwon promotion.

Thank you again for your support and hard work. May we continue to train hard together and enjoy the challenges and learning that Taekwondo presents.

Grandmaster Mark Biddlecombe,
TCGB President

Thank you to all those that attended the TCGB AGM on Sunday in London. We hope you found the discussions informative and constructive – looking forward to a great year ahead!

Congratulations to TCGB Technical Director Master Michael King who was presented with his 7th Dan Chungdokwan Korea certification and plaque.

Dear Instructors/Members,

Thank you to all Taekwondo Chungdokwan Great Britain (TCGB) members for your continued support, honesty and trust. This year we have seen progress in strengthening relations with our Chungdokwan friends at home and overseas. I personally have just returned from South Korea and presented Grandmaster Park Hae Man with a Christmas card on behalf of our association.

A special thank you to the TCGB committee for helping us meet the many challenges of 2018. I would also like to say well done to those candidates that have recently attended the winter TCGB Dan Grade promotion test in Swanmore.

2019 looks to be an exciting year – in particular, please make a note in your diary for the TCGB National Championships planned over two days, 23rd and 24th March at the Bracknell Leisure Centre. This will be a special event commemorating Chungdokwan’s 75-year anniversary. A special celebration dinner is also planned on the Saturday evening.

In 2019, we will continue to hold instructor/black belt meetings, while we are also planning to introduce instructor/black belt training sessions. The aim is to enjoy training together, learn and improve overall standards within TCGB.

The next opportunity for our members to meet will be at the TCGB AGM on Sunday 3rd February. Registration from 1pm at the Manning Room, Roman Catholic Church of St Ignatius of Loyola, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex, TW16 6QB. It would be great to see members and especially instructors and senior grades in attendance. Thank you again for your support and hard work. May we continue to train hard together and enjoy the challenges and learning that Taekwondo presents.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Grandmaster Mark Biddlecombe,
TCGB President