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BREAKING GROUND

NEWSLETTER VOLUME 14 ISSUE 3

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IPSWICH INTEL

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KALLANGUR CHR0NICLE

PAGE 4 GLADSTONE GRAPEVINE

PAGE 5 BANYO

BREAKERS

PAGES 6-7 MURRUMBA

MANIACS

A Word from the

Chief Instructor

A Word from the Chief Instructor By Peter Cameron 6th Degree Black Belt Chief Instructor

I would like to start my final article of the year by congratulating instructors and students for persevering through a difficult year. Due to the pandemic, many of the events and development we had planned for the club were impacted or delayed. I am astounded by the support of not only the instructors and students but also their families. Our September grading was smaller in numbers as the opportunity for higher grades to train had been limited, but the standard of participants was exceptional.

A special acknowledgement to Daniel Jays, for the calibre of students who participated in the Gladstone grading on 28th of November. The grading was conducted by Master Instructor, Jason Parker who reported a very high standard with all students successful in progressing to their next grade or further. From the feedback from instructors, we are expecting our final grading of the year December 5th at Kruger Hall will be one of our biggest yet. I would also like to wish good luck to all the students going for their black belt grading on the 5th. Black belt grading is the culmination of at least 4 years of dedicated training and is a major milestone. It would be poor form to say ‘break a leg’, so instead I’ll say ‘break a board’.

PAGE 8 MASTERING

THE ART

PAGE 9 REDCLIFFE

REVIEW

PAGES 10-12CAMP

MUDJIMBA

Page 2Our camp was October 9th - 11th, and was, on all accounts, a roaring success at Mudjimba on the Sunshine Coast. We had approximately 45 attendees. There was great enthusiasm from all participants and a lot of first timers. Each of the instructors who held a class put in a fantastic effort and it is always great to see students learning new techniques from different instructors. A highlight for many, as always, was the time at Aqua Park, which was a great afternoon with the weather being substantially better than the same event last year.

Unfortunately due to ongoing restrictions, we are not doing a whole club Christmas party, however each of the classes are doing break-ups in their own way. The social day we had intended to hold will be rescheduled for next year when we have some more certainty. We are planning our 2021 calendar and have tentative dates for our camps and grading already.

I will close by saying another thanks to everyone who makes this club what it is. It continues to exceed our wildest expectations when we started it over 23 years ago. Train hard, kick high and keep striving for perfection.

Peter Cameron Chief Instructor and founder of IMT in Australia.

IPSWICH INTEL Club News

Onto Ipswich’s news, I would invite everyone to wish my assistant instructor, Lisa Smith, a Happy 40th Birthday. She first received her black belt with our club over 23 years ago with her daughters now training with us also. She still reminds me of the sidekick I landed on her at her black belt grading, which may have been the first but certainly was not the last. (It is what I do.)

The Ipswich club has also grown substantially, with 12 participants, and frequent assistance from Troy Johnson and involvement of his students from the Gold Coast. We expect to have four white belts grading in December, with Kayla Smith also going for her 3rd grade (brown tip). On a personal note, I am enjoying seeing the growth and developments of my students, not only as martial artists but as people and seeing the wide benefits that discipline can bring.

We had our final all rank training session for the year in Ipswich. Given the distance, I was pleased to see so many participants. We focussed on gradable elements, finishing with our Thunderstruck work-out routine, with students doing a push up each time the word ‘thunder’ is said, (33 to be exact) which may not sound a lot but with everyone giving 100% for the session, there were a few tired arms and weary faces by the end.

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Kallangur

Chronicle Kris Ashton - 4th Dan - Instructor

Hi from the crew of Kallangur,

Well, what a huge few months of training it’s been at Kallangur, ramping up for December gradings. Everyone who has been attending Kallangur for extra training has definitely put in the hard work needed to successfully pass your exam. Of course, the Kallangur crew consistently applies this effort week and in week out. I’m very proud to say we have two young ladies attempting their black belts and I’m confident they will succeed. Both Tara and Ashley have been training their butts off in the lead up to this challenge. I have seen them both come so far in the past few years getting stronger and further skilled along the way. Good luck, girls! I’d like to wish all best to all students sitting for the next grading. Well, that’s about it from me for now. I wish everyone and their families a very merry Christmas and a safe, happy new year and look forward to seeing you all back training strong in the new year.

Kris

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GLADSTONE GRAPEVINE

Daniel Jays

3rd Degree Black Belt - Instructor

Hi everyone!

Good luck to everyone at the Kallangur end of year Grading. We have just had our Grading in Gladstone with Jason coming up to help. It was a successful day with 9 people grading, and whilst they don’t know it as I write this, they have all passed.

We were particularly impressed with 3 young white belts who didn’t know the combination pattern before grading day but knew their basics so well they performed the pattern well enough to get their Yellow Belts! Well done to Myles, Mackenzie and Patrick!

With the reduced number of flights at the moment I had the pleasure of Jason’s company all weekend. With all the extra time Jason offered to run a training session on the

Sunday after the grading. Everyone got to learn some cool self-defence moves and we had everyone trying flying side kick-back kick combination with some impressive results.

We have had a good second half of the year with the club growing to 14 members. I hope everyone has a safe Christmas and I look forward to seeing you all next year!

Daniel Jays

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Banyo Breakers

Tony Robinson

3rd Degree Black Belt - Instructor

Hello all, from the gang at Banyo.

After approximately 20 years training in the same hall at St Oswald’s Church, we are now on the move to a new location. The church has decided to rent the hall out on a full time basis to a training organisation. This left casual hirers, like ourselves, out in the cold. Luckily we have been able to find a new home at the Nudgee School of Arts Hall, not far away. This hall is around about the same size but has the added bonus of a big park outside to utilise on those hot summer afternoons. The committee there seems to be much more relaxed than what we are used to and the whole building will be freshly painted outside before we start back in the new year. We should be able to store our flooring onsite and they are hoping to create some more storage for our other gear in the new year also.

Grading day looks set to be a rather long one as more students are now better prepared than the first post-Covid lockdown one. We have the majority of the Banyo class grading. Some of our new white belts are attempting their first grading, right through to Alysha Nash, attempting her black belt grading late in the day. We will have students in every grading, which makes for a very proud day for myself and my assistants. The students have all prepared well so hopefully it won’t be too stressful for them or me!

Cheers,

Tony.

We are what we repeatedly do.Excellence therefore, is not an action but a habit!

Aristotle

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Murrumba Maniacs

John Barron

2nd Degree Black Belt - Instructor

Greeting to everyone from Murrumba Downs!

2020 is drawing to an end and it is likely a year that we all want to forget. It has been tough on everyone with class stopping for months, not being able to socialise, see family and friends and the only way to test your TKD skills was fighting in the shopping aisles for toilet paper.

Following the enforced COVID break, Murrumba had a surge of new members, likely as a result of all the housing development in the Griffin area. It is nice to see so many new faces and I am getting very close to remembering all the names. At the time of writing this article, (1.5 weeks before the grading) I am not sure if you are all ready to grade – as it is a large group to get ready.

But just know if you don’t grade, it is only because I want to make certain you are ready and will preform to a high standard. Hopefully this will be the first of many gradings, but just remember never be in a rush to grade.

To the senior grades, Alison will be attempting her first-grade, a very tough grading (a taste of a black belt grading) but Alison always puts 100% in. Lochie, Noah & Adam will be attempting their 1st degree Black Belt assessment. Getting 3 people ready post-COVID has been tough, particularly as Adam is out of town (with work) 2 out of every 4 weeks – but he always practices whilst he is away and it shows. The grading will be the toughest thing you have ever done in your life – but you would not be there on the floor if you were not ready (just like white belts). I have confidence that on the day you will give us a magnificent display of your abilities.

Continued….

Page 7Lastly, there’s Jayda. On the 4/12/2020, she will be attempting her 2nd Dan grading. I have had the privilege of teaching Jayda since she joined my Narangba club at the age of 8. She achieved her Black Belt in 2017 at the age of 12. Now, at the age of 15, she is attempting to achieve her 2nd Dan.

During these 7 years, I have seen her grow into a confident young woman. She trains 4 nights a week, attends every additional training session and entered a variety of external AMAC tournaments. Her commitment to the art of TKD is something that all students should aspire to.

Having been there myself, I all too well know how tough this is. Even though Jayda does all the work, it is a club effort to get her ready. A special thanks to all the instructors and senior ranks, too many to mention, who helped her on her journey.

I have 100% confidence she will achieve many more gradings and will definitely outrank me before I know it.

In closing, thanks to everyone who made 2020 a successful year for the Murrumba Downs club. Thanks to all the senior ranks that have helped run the class. Again, it is a team effort.

The last night of actual training will be Tuesday, 15 December 2020. Break-up and party night will be 17th December. Training will resume on 19th January 2021.

Have a safe and Merry Xmas and new year with your family and friends. See you in 2021!

Best wishes, John

Jayda as a white belt

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For many students, the last grading of the year signals the end of training until classes resume next year. Everyone has trained hard throughout the year and has earned a well-deserved rest, especially your instructors.

For those of you who wish to do a little extra training during the break, there are a number of easy things you can do at home. One of the best things you can do at home is to practise stretching. A few raising kicks will do wonders to improve your flexibility. A few raises on each leg should only take a minute out of your day and can be done nearly anywhere.

If you have trained so hard during the year that you don’t even want to stand up, no worries! You can stretch on the floor whilst playing a board game, play your favourite video game or even just watch TV. For those feeling like they have more energy to burn, or just want to work off your Christmas ‘food babies’, try going for a run or doing some push-ups - or any other type of fitness you can find fun or challenging.

Setting yourself a goal each week is another great way to motivate yourself over the holidays. To add in some extra fun, challenge your classmates. Remember, it doesn’t matter what activity you choose to do, every bit of training helps.

We hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday and we look forward to seeing you all when the classes resume next year.

All the very best for Christmas and the new year.

Joe

MASTERING THE ART

By Joseph Sandona

4th Degree Black Belt - Instructor

On behalf of the entire organisation, I wish Joe and Jacinta all the very best for the upcoming birth of their ‘little kicker’. With their combined genetic make-up, this little one (no pressure, of course) should have great potential as a martial artist. Lee

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REDCLIFFE REVIEW

JASON PARKER

5th Degree Black Belt - Master Instructor

It’s the business end of the year now, and looking back at the year that was makes me feel very relieved that it is nearly over. Luckily 2020 has been an anomaly with regards to our way of life for a very, very, very long time. I know there is still the possibility of things regressing again, but let’s not talk about what may happen and talk about what has and is happening.

I was really happy after the last grading at how well our new curriculum has been working to improve the standard of our training. Everyone really stepped up their game and looked very sharp, so well done!

We thankfully got to hold a camp this year, and even though I was not able to participate fully due to my ongoing recovery, it was just great to be around and watch everyone get into their training and learn lots of great stuff. For those of you who had never been to a camp before, I hope you had a great time, and understand why we go on about them so much!

Looking forward to the upcoming grading, based on the numbers of hands that went up at the last training session at Bundamba, it’s going to be a big one! The Redcliffe class is looking good with their preparations, but I would like to particularly mention Alex and Heath, who will be attempting their Black Belt. They have been training really hard and putting in lots of extra work to be ready.

I am very confident they will do themselves very proud and I wish them all the best.

Of course, they will not be the only ones on the floor attempting their Black Belt, so for all of the other students taking the floor, best of luck to you all! I would also like to wish Jayda the best of luck for her 2nd Dan grading.

Before I sign off for 2020, I would just like to impart (hopefully) a bit of wisdom. It’s about strength. Not just physical strength, but also mental strength and strength of character. Being strong is not about comparing yourself to someone else, it is all about you. Strength can be found by overcoming obstacles, making self-improvement or pushing boundaries, but it always starts from within. The more hard work you put into your own development, the greater the rewards you will reap. To develop strength, you need to be motivated, you need to set goals and you need practice. You will find that these will all be needed together and therefore, strength encompasses more than what you initially thought it does. It is cyclical in nature. If you improve one thing, another gets better and so on, until before you realise it, you are stronger than you were. Keep the cycles going. Keep getting stronger and you can use it to overcome any obstacle.

Jason

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CAMP MUDJIMBA 2020

As training returned to normality by the middle of this year, we were able to finally hold our All Rank Training Camp that was originally scheduled for March - before ‘you know what’ changed everything. There was lots of training over the weekend, but due to the time of year there were a few prickles in the grass so most of our training had to be held indoors. The only ones brave enough to spend time on the grass were the kangaroos. On Friday night, we kicked off training to an almost full contingent of camp attendees. It was great to get the weekend underway and everyone got stuck in and set the tone for the whole weekend. On Saturday, it was up with the sparrows and into some stretching. Eliot took the session (which is usually taken by the Chief Instructor) and got us all ready for the big day ahead. After a hearty breakfast, we eased into the day with a patterns’ session. A few prickle-free spots were found outside to give everyone enough room. With a grading on the horizon, it was a great opportunity to fine-tune a few things and get some good practice in.

The next session, we all came back inside together and Kris ran us through a great session on set sparring, in particular, focusing on counter attacking. He ran some drills for everyone to practise and emphasised the importance of movement and reaction time. The last session before lunch was a fitness and sparring session. All students were pushed to their limits here, but we all came together to make sure everyone finished the session. Whilst this session was underway, the black tips were given an opportunity to show how their preparations were going for their grading. They were given feedback from the senior Instructors in order to direct them forward.

It was now time for a well-earned lunch break and, as always, the food that was prepared for us at Apex Mudjimba was of the highest quality. Not only did we look forward to the rest, but the delicious food was a great power up for the weekend of training. After lunch, we got stuck into a big Self-Defence session. Self-defence is such an important part of our training; we always dedicate the most amount of time we can to it. All students were given the opportunity to work on their own rank level defences but were also able to experience some higher rank ones as well. Something to look forward to in your ongoing training journey.

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As a fun finish to the day, most of the attendees headed off to the Bli Bli Aqua Fun Park, for a well-deserved bit of aqua therapy - if you call running around like a crazy person while jumping in and out of the water ‘therapy’! Everyone had a great time and the cool water hopefully helped those tired muscles from a big day of training.

After hours was a bit of fun too! Matthew and Martin had recently purchased some Light Sabres that can be used to dual each other. So the hall lights went out and the Light Sabres lit up the hall in an all-out battle for the fate of the galaxy! The boys were kind enough to let a few of the students have a twirl and everyone had a lot of fun. There was, of course, the usual shenanigans involving cards and strike shields, but those who were there can fill you in if you want some more details!

Another early morning stretch awaited our weary bodies on Sunday morning. As always, by the time the session was over, most of the aches and pains had been stretched out and with some added meditation and relaxation thrown in to prepare our bodies and minds for the rest of the day, we were ready to go. But first, a nice breakfast to fuel our muscles! As tasty as always!

The first session on Sunday was taken by Tony, and he got us to work on some punching drills to help with our range and counter attacking. Combining footwork with head movement is the best way to open up opportunities to strike, and we all learnt a lot.

HEY, SKIP! WHAT’S THAT? THEY CAN’T

HACK THE PRICKLES?

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To balance out the upper body work, it was time to get out kick on! Brett shared his most advanced kicks with everyone. They weren't the most advanced to learn, but they were the most advanced to land. But with enough practice, everyone would be able to land these kicks.

The second last session of the weekend was taken by Joe. The session was all about counter attacking. There was a lot of emphasis on this over the weekend, so another detailed session to help everyone with their speed and timing was needed to balance out the key elements of this method of sparring. When combined with the rest of the sessions, everyone should be almost untouchable! So let's put it to the test...

Because this camp had replaced the Black Belt camp, we brought over one of the traditions of the Black Belt camps. THE 1 HOUR FREE SPAR! Everyone had lots of time and opportunity to work on the lessons they had been shown over the weekend. The 1 hour free spar is done at a black belt camp because it's an absolutely energy-draining affair that takes a lot of fitness and drive to be able to complete. So the gauntlet was thrown down and boy did everyone give it everything they had! To keep everyone going, we turned up the music to 11 and kept the momentum going. By the end of the hour, everyone looked like they had just been back to the water park! A lot of students even found this to be their favourite part of the camp. It was a way to push themselves further than before at a level higher that before.

That session really exemplifies the feeling and atmosphere of the camps as a whole. What seems like an impossible task is broken down into smaller achievable goals and conquered one at a time. You learn from different people, you practise what you are taught, you get tired, you push through, you get knocked down, you get back up, you find strength from within to keep going when your body is screaming for a rest. And when it is all done, you look back at what you achieved and think, 'That was fun, I can't wait to do it again!'

So we'll see you at the start of next year for the next All Rank Training Camp!

Jason

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MAKE SURE YOU GET TO THE 2021 CAMP!

From all the instructors and those who work in the background, we wish you all a very merry Christmas and a bright, healthy new year!!

Stay safe, everyone, and we look forward to seeing you on the training floor early in 2021.